| Euractiv shares the latest information we have on which MEPs will be working on the health committees in the new parliament. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) vote on the list and size of Parliament’s committees, today Wednesday 17 July. The lists of MEPs to be appointed to each committee are decided internally by the political groups and will be announced on Friday 19 July at 9.00 am. Presidents and vice-presidents are expected to be elected next week. Here’s what we know so far: European People’s Party (EPP) ENVI – Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Full Members: Stefan Kohler (DE), Peter Liese (DE), Christine Schneider (DE), Oliver Schenk (DE), Bartosz Arlukowicz (PL), Ewa Kopacz (PL), Elżbieta Katarzyna Lukacijewska (PL), Esther Herranz García (ES), Dolors Montserrat Montserrat (ES), Juan Ignacio Zoido Álvarez (ES), Dan-Ştefan Motreanu (RO), Massimiliano Salini (IT), Flavio Tosi (IT), Gabriella Gerzsenyi (HU) [Or András Tivadar Kulja (HU)], Radan Kanev (BG), Laurent Castillo (FR), Sander Smit (NL), Ingeborg Ter Laak (NL), Alexander Bernhuber (AT), Jessica Polfjärd (SE), Milan Zver (SL), Pascal Arimont (BE), Roberta Metsola (MT) Substitute Members:
Jens Gieseke (DE), Norbert Lins (DE), Dennis Radtke (DE), Andrea Wechsler (DE), Hildegard Bentele (DE), Manuela Ripa (DE), Adam Jarubas (PL), Susana Solís Pérez (ES), Carmen Crespo Díaz (ES), Virgil-Daniel Popescu (RO), Adina Valean (RO), Letizia Moratti (IT), Dimitris Tsiodras (GR), Lídia Pereira (PT), Sunčana Glavak (HR), Danuše Nerudová (CZ), Henna Virkkunen (FI), Seán Kelly (IE), Liesbet Sommen (BE), Niels Flemming Hansen (DK), Christophe Hansen (LU) SANT- Subcommittee on Public Health Full Members: Peter Liese (DE), Oliver Schenk (DE), Adam Jarubas (PL), Bartosz Arlukowicz (PL), Dolors Montserrat Montserrat (ES), András Tivadar Kulja (HU), Laurent Castillo (FR), Jessica Polfjärd (SE) Substitute Members: Manuela Ripa (DE), Ewa Kopacz (PL), Elena Nevado Del Campo (ES),Letizia Moratti (IT), Tomislav Sokol (HR), Ingeborg Ter Laak (NL), Luděk Niedermayer (CZ) Renew ENVI – Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Full members: Grégory Allione (FR), Stine Bosse (DK), Pascal Canfin (FR), Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy (NL), Andreas Glück (DE), Martin Hojsík (SL), Katri Kulmuni (FI), Ana Vasconcelos (PT), Emma Wiesner (FI), Michal Wiezik (SK)
Substitute members: Jeannette Baljeu (NL), Olivier Chastel (BE), Sigrid Friis (DK), Karin Karlsbro (SE), Billy Kelleher (IE), Christine Singer (DE), Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu (RO), three remain to be allocated. SANT- Subcommittee on Public Health Full members: Stine Bosse (DK), Olivier Chastel (BE), Vlad Vasile-Voiculescu (RO)
Substitute members: Andreas Glück (DE), Irena Joveva (SL), Billy Kelleher (IE) Socialist & Democrats (S&D) ENVI – Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Full members : Annalisa Corrado (IT), Vytenis Andriukaitis (LT), Sakis Aranaoutoglou (EL), Thomas Bajada (MT), Delara Burkhardt (DE), Mohammed Chahim (NL), Christophe Clergeau (FR), Helene Fritzon (SE), Alessandra Moretti (IT), Camila Laureti (IT), Romana Jercovick (HR), Javi Lopez (ES), Cesar Luena (ES), Gunther Sidl (AT), Marti Temido (PT), Tiemo Wölken (DE), Kristian Vigenin (BG) Substitute members : Matteo Ricci (IT), Nicolas Gonzalez Casares (ES), Raffaele Topo (IT), Leire Pajin (ES), Thomas Pellerin Carlin (FR), Dan Nica (RO), Victor Negrescu (RO), Christel Schaldemose (DK), Pierre Jouvet (FR), Bruno Goncalves (PT), Maria Noichl (DE), Chloe Ridel (FR), Biljana Borzan (HR), Elena Sancho Murillo (ES), Estelle Ceulemans (BE) SANT- Subcommittee on Public Health Full Members: Vytenis Andriukaitis (LT), Christophe Clergeau (FR), Nicolas Gonzalez Casares (ES), Victor Negrescu (RO), Tiemo Wölken (DE), Romana Jercovick (HR) Substitute Members: Estelle Ceaulemans (BE), Leire Pajin (ES), Alessandra Moretti (IT), Raffaele Topo (IT), Pierre Jouvet (FR), Marta Temido (PT) ECR ENVI – Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Full Members: Pietro Fiocchi (IT), Emmanouil Fragkos (GR), Jacek Ozdoba (PL), Michele Picaro (IT), Nicola Procaccini (IT), Claudiu-Richard Târziu (RO), Beatrice Timgren (SE), Aurelijus Veryga (LT), Alexandr Vondra (CZ), Anna Zalewska (PL) Substitutes: Galato Alexandraki (GR), Adrian-George Axinia (RO), Sergio Berlato (IT), Stefano Cavedagna (IT), Geadis Geadi (CY), Antonella Sberna (IT), Kristoffer Storm (DK), Laurence Trochu (FR), Jadwiga Wisniewska (PO), Paolo Inselvini (IT) SANT- Subcommittee on Public Health Full members: Galato Alexandraki (GR), Michele Picaro (IT), Laurence Trochu (FR) Substitutes: Ruggero Razza (IT), Aurelijus Veryga (LT), PietroFiocchi (IT) GREENS ENVI – Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Full members: Ignazio Roberto Marino (IT), Jutta Paulus (DE), Lena Schilling (AU), Rasmus Nordqvist (DK), Tilly Metz (LU), Pär Holmgren (SE), Majdouline Sbai (FR) Substitutes: Marie Toussaint (FR), Michael Bloss (DE), Martin Häusling (DE), Bas Eickhout (NL), Sara Matthieu (BE), Maria Ohisalo (FI), Kai Tegethoff (DE) SANT- Subcommittee on Public Health Full members: Ignazio Roberto Marino (IT), Tilly Metz (LU) Substitutes: Majdouline Sbai (FR), one place to be allocated Other news WHO reveals that half a million children in the European region are not fully vaccinated A WHO European region report on child immunisation, reveals that there has been only a partial recovery from the dip in vaccination usage caused by the COVID pandemic. “Vaccines are one of the most powerful tools we have to save lives and protect our futures,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe. “Countries must keep strengthening their immunisation programmes until we meet all the goals set out in the European Immunisation Agenda 2030.” Two countries stand out in the EU: Romania experienced the largest decrease in diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccination between 2022 and 2023, from 85% to 78%. It also had the second-highest number of zero-dose children (33,000), representing about 12% of all zero-dose children in the region. Germany had the highest number of children who have not received DTP (65,000), representing about 13% of all unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children in the EU. Vaccines Europe told Euractiv that there were several reasons for the decline in vaccination coverage: growing vaccine hesitancy fueled by misinformation, the discontinuation by the EU Commission-led biennial ‘State of Vaccine Confidence in the EU’ report and the lack of electronic immunisation record systems that assist individuals and health professionals monitor uptake. UK rolls out vaccination against respiratory virus The UK will become the first country in the world to have a national programme that uses the same vaccine to protect both newborns and older adults against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). In the UK, RSV accounts for around 30,000 hospitalisations in children aged under five and is responsible for 20 to 30 infant deaths. It also causes around 9,000 hospital admissions in those aged over 75. The government hopes that immunisation could free up thousands of hospital bed days and help to avoid hundreds of deaths each year. Revamped EU drugs agency makes first trip to Washington Just one week after its official inauguration, a delegation from the European Drugs Agency (EUDA) visited Washington DC to meet with US partners, to discuss the agency’s new mandate and potential cooperation within EUDA’s new responsibilities. World population projected to peak earlier than expected The United Nations released their revised data on the world’s population. The world’s population is now expected to peak in 2084, 2 years earlier than originally predicted. According to Our World in Data’s analysis of the figures, rapidly falling fertility rates are driving the population curve. Pathogen prioritization for Olympic and Paralympic games EuroSurveillance will be testing the wastewater at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic games to watch for possible outbreaks of six identified pathogens: poliovirus, influenza A&B virus, mpox virus, SARS-CoV-2 and measles virus. If successful, the adoption of wastewater surveillance could be used for other mass gathering events worldwide. Philip Morris’ IQOS fined € 900,000 for electronic cigarette advertising The Paris Court of Appeal has upheld a fine for propaganda and illegal advertising in favour of tobacco against Philip Morris France (PMF) and Philip Morris Products (PMP) for its heated tobacco device, IQOS. Philip Morris France, described as a repeat offender, was fined €500,000 and Philip Morris Products €400,000. Latvia notifies EU of new alcohol laws to reduce consumption Latvia has notified the Commission of a draft law designed to reduce excessive alcohol consumption. According to data from the OECD ‘Health at a glance 2023’ report, recorded alcohol consumption in Latvia is the highest among the countries of both the European Union and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, at 12.1 litres per inhabitant. Measures proposed in the law include bans of free alcohol in gaming arcades and casinos, limits on the time for selling alcohol, bans on advertising in print, cinemas or online, and promotion, such as “2 for the price of 1” deals. FDA rejects approval of Novo Nordisk’s weekly insulin injections Novo Nordisk application for US FDA approval for icodec’s has been met with a request for more information about the manufacturing process and its use for type 1 diabetes. The Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee found the benefit-risk data for type 1 diabetes to be insufficient. Novo Nordisk does not expect to meet the FDA’s requests in 2024. Development continues for Pfizer’s weight loss drug Pfizer's GLP-1 receptor agonist Danuglipron medicine obesity treatment will undergo dose optimization studies to further its research on the preferred once-a-day formulation to compete in the oral GLP-1 space. | 