Technology-Driven R&D to be Prime Topic at DIA’s EuroMeeting

Hamburg, the site of April's DIA EuroMeeting, has 54 hospitals, including the world-famous University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf.

This spring, members and guests of the Drug Information Association (DIA) will converge in Hamburg to sample the German city’s legendary oysters and traditional Aalsuppe (sweet-and-sour soup with ham, dried plums and apple), and navigate through the area’s extensive network of canals, discovering the delights of the Alstadt (Old Town). But the matters at hand inside the walls of the Congress Center Hamburg, the site of  DIA’s 28th Annual EuroMeeting, which which begins on April 6, will focus heavily on technology and innovation throughout the R&D process.  

The congress will explore how clinical research is incorporating new and upcoming technologies like gene therapy, discuss options in linking novel diagnostic opportunities like next-generation sequencing with targeted treatments, and evaluate the use of digital tools in research, development, and patient treatment, noted conference co-chair Dr. Kemal Malik in an email interview with Applied Clinical Trials.

“Patients and their families expect to receive innovative and well-developed medicinal products of a high qualitative standard and in a timely manner. At the same time, we have to accept the challenges we are facing with respect to private and public budget constraints,” said Malik, who is responsible for innovation and the North America and Latin America regions for Bayer AG, and was appointed to the company’s Board of Management in February 2014. “The early exchange of information in a transparent way is key to improving health and to maintaining high standards. Clinical researchers have an active role in shaping procedures and decisions for the benefit of patients and being part of the development of products and services that benefit people and improve the quality of life.”

Hamburg-“the gateway to the world,” Malik  believes-is thought to be an ideal place to exchange experience, get new insights on innovation, and align all required stakeholders. Delegates will get the chance to learn about the renowned medical research done in city’s University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and share views and discuss new legislation and its implementation, as well as new information on patient interaction tools, according to Malik.

Malik’s co-chair will be Prof. Karl Broich, who has been president of the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) in Bonn, Germany, since August 2014.

The title of the EuroMeeting is “Innovation-Do You Win by Being In?” The central themes are innovation, clinical research, clinical trials, regulatory science, medical affairs, e-health/big data, pharmacovigilance, lifecycle benefit/risk management/post-approval, and availability of medicinal products access/shortages. Other sessions will focus on globalization, special populations, medical devices and combination products, health technology assessment, and medical writing.

For updates leading up the event and to view a short video featuring the co-chairs, click here.