Innovation in rare diseases: How can Europe be a global leader? | Euronews Debates

Euronews has gathered a panel of experts, industry leaders and key players in Brussels to address the issue of how rare disease provision can be advanced in the EU.

Debate host and Euronews science journalist Jeremy Wilks will accompany the panel as they consider rare diseases and the battle for progress. They will tackle questions including how the private and public sectors can work efficiently together and what the future formula for better healthcare should look like.

The event is organised on the sidelines of Rare Disease Awareness month, with Rare Disease Day taking place on 28 February.

You can register to watch our debate here:

In the European Union, a disease is considered rare if it affects fewer than five people in 10,000.

This might sound small, but in practice, six to eight per cent of the bloc's population is affected by a distinct rare condition like this, which translates to between 27 and 36 million people.

Most of these patients suffer from even rarer diseases that affect just one person in 100,000 or more, according to EU data.

Approximately 5,000-8,000 distinct rare diseases in the EU span all medical areas and include neurological, immunological and metabolic diseases, as well as rare cancers.

Our four panellists joining the debate around such conditions are:

Alessandra Moretti Member of the European Parliament, representing the northeast Italian region of Veneto. Alessandra is a member of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality.

Yann Le Cam CEO, EURORDIS - Rare Diseases Europe. Yann initiated Rare Diseases International (RDI) in 2009. He is an elected member of the RDI Council and Chair of the RDI