HERA’s newsletter

Dear readers,

Welcome to the first issue of HERA’s newsletter! The European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority was created to strengthen Europe’s ability to ensure the provision of medical countermeasures in case of a pandemic or other large-scale health threats.

In this first issue, we will kick-off with remarks by the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, highlighting the main achievements of HERA and its key role at the centre of the EU’s health security architecture, followed by an interview with Professor Peter Piot, Special Advisor to EC President von der Leyen on European and Global Health Security and the EU Chief Scientific Advisor on Epidemics. With Professor Piot, we discussed the main lessons we learnt with the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of public trust when it comes to major health crises, as well as HERA’s key role in the global health security landscape.

In the Highlights, you will learn about what are the objectives of the Critical Medicines Alliance, consultative mechanism bringing together all relevant stakeholders to propose solutions to strengthen the supply of critical medicines and avoid shortages. You will also get an overview of what the main takeaways of the HERA Annual Conference, which took place last December in Brussels, were. In the Industry corner, you will know more about HERA Invest, first European health investment fund promoting advanced research and development of medical countermeasures and related technologies.

You will then learn more about the tailored training and exercise programme being developed by HERA to enhance capacity building to prepare and respond to health threats, before diving deep into our international activities.

Enjoy the read, and if not done already, subscribe!

In 2021, in the midst of the largest public health crisis in the last century, the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority was created to become the EU’s watchtower against health threats: to anticipate them, to prepare for them and to coordinate our response to them.

Since its establishment, HERA has been assessing and identifying priority health threats, playing a central role in working with industry on the procurement of essential medical countermeasures such as COVID-19 and mpox vaccines, working towards the creation of medical stockpiles at EU level, and promoting cooperation at the global level by forging deeper ties with our international partners. 

These solid first steps have firmly placed HERA at the centre of the EU’s health security architecture. HERA’s expertise is now being put to good use in addressing some of the EU’s more structural challenges in the area of health.

Medicines shortages have been a longstanding and complex challenge for EU healthcare systems and patients for several years. The events of the past years have clearly highlighted the need for the EU to reinforce its supply chains to ensure security of supply of medicines for our citizens.

Addressing these challenges will require concerted, coordinated efforts at all levels to deliver on our commitment to our citizens that they can all access the essential medicines they need at all times, which is a top priority of our European Health Union. HERA is uniquely placed to work with our Member States on the immediate, operational solutions necessary to mitigate the risks of shortages in the short- and medium- term.

Last April, we proposed an ambitious reform of the EU’s pharmaceutical legislation after 20 years. This reform will provide the long-term, structural solutions to improving the availability of medicines.

In October, we announced a new Critical Medicines Alliance to work against shortages and add an industrial pillar to the European Health Union. Taken together, these measures provide a new approach to better tackle medicines shortages in the EU, now and in the long-term. HERA will play an instrumental role in ensuring that these actions are implemented for the benefit of every EU citizen.

This newsletter is a new channel of communication with HERA’s stakeholder community, and I am delighted to see its first edition being published. I hope that it will open doors to HERA’s work, enrich its output and serve as another tool to promote partnerships on its important mission.