100 YEARS OF INSULIN

STEERING INNOVATIONS TO STOP INEQUALITIES

Every year, on January 23, the diabetes community celebrates “Leonard Thompson day”, who was the first person in history to receive an injection of insulin as a treatment for Type 1 Diabetes in 1922. Over the past 100 years, many new medicines have been  developed, which greatly decreased the burden of diabetes, while technology and digital solutions have also improved, leading to much better and easier management of the condition.

100 years after the discovery of insulin, it is clear that there is much innovation to celebrate. 

Adopted from the business, technology, and marketing industries, the term “innovation” has been used to describe policies, systems, technologies, delivery methods and ideas that provide brand new solutions to existing healthcare problems. An innovation is something truly original or at least truly different, which provides great benefits. Relating to healthcare, innovation also has, as its main goal, an improvement in patients’ quality of life 

However, innovation is not only the development of new treatments and the concrete implementation of new methods, it is also an attitude. Being innovative means being open-minded, curious, unconventional and unorthodox. Innovators, in medicine, are pioneers who are not scared of disrupting the status quo and follow a vision that might save lives and guarantee the best life outcomes for the majority of people. 

Innovation, in diabetes care, means taking a holistic approach, putting people living with diabetes (PwD) at the centre of their care, supporting healthcare professionals (HCPs) to provide high-quality care, and examining some key enablers such as technology and funding to re-organise the entire healthcare system. During these difficult times, when 1 in 10 Europeans lives with diabetes (IDF atlas, 2021 - Europe), and health threats such as COVID-19 unveil unacceptable inequalities in access to diabetes care, being innovative is not helpful: it is fundamental. 

Therefore, it is important not only to create new models of treatment that can make a difference, but also to scale up innovation to reach as many people as possible. An innovation is not successful if it is not available to everyone who needs it. 

We, at IDF Europe, are committed to fostering innovation and, more importantly, to ensuring that, instead of exacerbating existing inequalities, innovations are inclusive and contribute to improving the quality of life and health outcomes of all PwD.

In the context of our Centenary of Insulin Campaign, we developed a new website to celebrate the achievements of the past 100 years, to share knowledge about the current status of diabetes care and innovation in Europe, and to inspire on the way forward to the next 100 years.

Great improvements are in the pipeline. To enable access to all, we need to work together, as a community, and collaborate with healthcare systems and other stakeholders who have the power to ease access to the innovation ecosystem.

IDF EUROPE NEWS, ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS

IDF Europe Centenary of Insulin Campaign - Twinning Programme

As part of our Centenary of Insulin campaign, IDF Europe launched a dedicated knowledge exchange programme for all our member associations. The main objective of the Twinning Programme is to build on national expertise and foster strategic collaboration between member associations to grow their capacity. By doing so, one’s strengths are used to support someone else’s needs. This programme is an excellent opportunity for associations to maximise the impact of their activities by connecting, giving and receiving support. On January 20, IDF Europe held an information webinar to invite all our member associations to participate in the Twinning Programme. The initiative has been warmly welcomed by many associations and the applications are now open.

Visit our Centenary of Insulin dedicated website to learn more about the Twinning Programme and how to participate.

The deadline to fill in the mapping survey for participating in the Twinning Programme is February 15

Centenary activities across Europe - Interactive map

On our new website, Insulin100.eu, in addition to information on the status of diabetes care in Europe and on IDF Europe's activities and projects, a page is dedicated to the Centenary activities across Europe organised by our member associations. This page displays an interactive map on which visitors can find information on past and future activities across Europe. To keep the interactive map up to date, we kindly welcome any additional information from our member associations on their activities on the occasion of the Centenary of Insulin.

If there is any initiative you would like to share with us, please contact Martina at martina.boccardo@idf-europe.org.

The IDF Europe Centenary of Insulin Campaign is supported by Novo Nordisk and Lilly Diabetes.

Are you living with Type 2 diabetes? We would love to hear from you!

Are you living with Type 2 Diabetes and based in Europe? You welcome advice but believe that you should have the final say because you are the one who knows best about your needs, wishes and hopes? You don’t want diabetes to take over your life but you want to make sure that everything is done to improve your care and quality of life? 

We would love to hear from you! And to invite you to provide testimonials, participate in the establishment of a platform of people living with T2D and/or participate as a patient representative in EU-funded projects.

If you are interested, or know someone that may be, please contact Elisabeth at elisabeth.dupont@idf-europe.org!

Welcome to the IDF Europe team!

We are delighted to introduce our new intern, Robert Goia, who joined the IDF Europe team in January as communication coordinator. Robert holds a degree in European Studies, Transnational and Global Perspectives, and has gained experience in advocacy communications and project coordination by participating in various projects on European citizens initiatives and rights. 

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Simona Vitali, former administrative and communication assistant, who left our team in January to pursue other professional opportunities. We are all thankful for her commitment and precious contribution to the work of IDF Europe, and we wish her the best of luck!

NEWS FROM MEMBERS

APDP open letter to the upcoming Portuguese Government on the social, structural and organisational changes needed to reduce the impact of diabete

Dr. José Manuel Boavida, IDF Europe Board Member and APDP President, and Dr. João Filipe Raposo, APDP Clinical Director, recently published an open letter to the upcoming Portuguese Government in the online newspaper "Público". The letter addresses the need for social, structural and organisational changes in the health system, to reduce the impact of diabetes in Portugal. In the article, APDP  calls for a global and different response to diabetes and describe five strategic steps that the government should take to deal with chronic diseases, in particular diabetes:

1. Developing systems for registering  and sharing health data, at national and European levels to know the number of people living with diabetes.

2. Reinforcing screening and early diagnosis and educational programmes, stimulating collaboration between local authorities, communities, civil society agents and healthcare organisations.

3. Integrating social support with health responses.

4. Improving the prevention system by implementing public policies that address modifiable risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes and diabetes-related complications.

5. Investing in integrated primary care, including the development of education skills and the implementation of multidisciplinary consultations.

Read the full article here.

On the Centenary of the Discovery of Insulin, the Charity Union of Persons with Disabilities and People with Diabetes Mellitus in Uzbekistan (UMID), tirelessly works towards access in diabetes care and diabetes prevention

The work of the Charity Union of Persons with Disabilities and People with Diabetes Mellitus in Uzbekistan (UMID) is a great example of the crucial role played by local associations to improve access to diabetes care.

Local associations are able to pay special attention to the inequalities in access to diabetes care within their countries because of their knowledge of the local social, economic and environmental factors shaping such inequalities.

Since 2008, UMID has been organising events to ensure the visibility of PwD and their needs, to increase access to diabetes care among the most disadvantaged, and to draw attention to diabetes prevention. In particular, the association pays special attention to the population living in rural areas where inequalities in access to care are even more pronounced. Some of the initiatives include seminars for primary care physicians, free consultative and diagnostic assistance, charity events, and conversations on diabetes prevention and healthy lifestyles.

Read the full article here.
 

NEWS FROM EUROPE

The French Presidency highlights digital health and action on cancer as two of the key focus areas during its mandate

On January 1, 2022, France took on the Presidency of the Council of the EU with health as a major focus of its agenda. Priorities include promoting digital health, strengthening responses to health emergencies, reinforcing the Union's health sovereignty, fostering innovation, and addressing the mental health needs of vulnerable young people.

The promotion of digital health and the digitalisation of health systems have the potential to make a significant improvement to care and health outcomes across the EU, in particular for conditions like diabetes which make much use of numbers, calculations and data.

The diabetes community hopes that the French Presidency will contribute to the final adoption of a European Health Data Space legislation that empowers citizens and facilitates the shift towards more personalised and integrated care models. Moreover, the NCD community welcomes the plan of the French Presidency to step up efforts in the prevention and management of cancer which will have positive effects on lowering the risk of developing other chronic diseases such as diabetes. In this context we hope the French Presidency will also support the recently launched EU NCD initiative targeting diabetes as an individual NCD.

Diabetes and other NCDs need strong political commitment supported by concrete and ambitious actions. The diabetes community strongly believes that an effective Diabetes Policy Roadmap should go beyond sharing knowledge and best practices among Member States and include a structured framework supported by policies with targets and evaluations.

IDF Europe is committed to improving the lives of people with diabetes, and will seek opportunities to work closely with the French Presidency to improve the lives of ten percent of the EU population living with diabetes today.

Our full position statement is available here.

The Commission adopts 2022 EU4Health Work Programme

On 14 January 2022, the European Commission published the second EU4Health work programme. The 2022 work programme has a budget of €835 million and follows four priority strands of actions including crisis preparedness, disease prevention, health systems and healthcare workforce and digital, with cancer as a transversal action. Building stronger and more resilient health systems is also an overarching goal of the programme, with substantial investments allocated towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the adoption of the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) to fight serious cross-border health threats and develop effective countermeasures.

Funds committed in the work programme are available in the form of direct grants for Member States, action grants for a range of other stakeholders including NGOs, and operating grants to support activities of civil society and NGOs. The Programme underlines that NGOs’ expertise and contribution is of added value in relation to a range of health issues such as non-communicable diseases (NCDs), health determinants, ageing society, vulnerable groups and rare diseases. Poor nutrition, physical inactivity, obesity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol are identified as common risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, while health literacy is recognised as key to tackling some of these issues.  

Recognising the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which accounts for 80% of deaths yet only 3% of health budgets, the Commission also announced as part of its 2022 work programme the launch of a new NCD Initiative - Healthier Together.  The Initiative targets diabetes as an individual NCD, alongside cardiovascular, respiratory and mental and neurological diseases. The scope of the Initiative is not fully defined at this stage as the Commission is in the process of gathering feedback from Member States through the Steering Group on Health Promotion and Prevention and from civil society and NGOs though the EU Health Policy Platform.

Overall, the selected projects will contribute to disease prevention and health promotion initiatives and actions which are welcomed by the diabetes community. Disease prevention and addressing the condition’s modifiable risk factors are key to improving quality of life and health outcomes of people living with diabetes and those at risk.

The full Work Programme is available here.

Member states, associated third countries, international organisations, NGOs and the private sector will be eligible for funding under the programme managed by HaDEA. Learn more here.

IDF EUROPE ADVOCACY AND COMMUNICATION WORK

DG SANTE to convene stakeholders for the next meeting of the Healthier Together – EU NCD Initiative, on February 3, 2022 

On February 3, 2022, European health stakeholders and NCD organisations will meet for the second round of discussions on Healthier Together – EU NCD Initiative launched by the Commission to help Member States reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes. The webinar’s agenda is available here. The Commission also released a template for stakeholders to provide their feedback which can be accessed on the EU Health Policy Platform. 

IDF Europe and the diabetes community welcome the EU NCD Initiative and the inclusion of diabetes as one of the key priority NCDs as a first step towards addressing the burden of diabetes in a systematic and structured way and recognising diabetes as a key priority that requires societal, structural and organisational changes. One in ten adults lives with diabetes in the EU. The impact of this life-long condition on their health and well-being, not to mention its substantial economic burden on health budgets – around €104 bn in the EU in 2021, are often underestimated. 

We also support the horizontal approach to health determinants to reduce the incidence of NCDs such as diabetes, ensure equitable access to care and improve health outcomes.

We strongly believe that, building on best practices and knowledge sharing among Member States (MS), a structured framework can be developed for each condition in the initiative, supported by policies with targets and evaluations. 

IDF Europe is working closely with its Member Associations (MAs) to align on the priorities of the diabetes community. Some of our MAs are already engaging with their respective Ministries of Health to put diabetes on the agenda. Together with other diabetes stakeholders, we will continue to work closely with the European Commission, MS and international organisations, to provide further input and to co-create a Diabetes Policy Roadmap that will support MS to build back better and fairer.

Our full position statement is available here.

On the International Day of Education 2022, IDF Europe highlights the importance of access to education as a key social determinant of health

The International Day of Education 2022 focused on the need for changing course and transforming education to shape more just and sustainable futures. On this day, IDF Europe raised awareness about the linkages between the right to education and the right to health.

Access to education is in fact a key modifiable risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes and diabetes-related complications, with a much higher incidence of the disease among lower educated groups. As such, access to education plays a role at all stages in life and further influences other areas that affect health outcomes such as working conditions, job security, income, housing, health literacy, physical activity, health eating, etc. 

Given the multiple and complex interrelations between access to education and diabetes, IDF Europe calls for more concerted and intersectoral responses from educational and health institutions to reduce social inequalities. 

Our full position statement is available here.

100 years after the first insulin injection, many structural changes are still needed to place people living with diabetes at the centre of their care and improve their quality of life and health outcomes

On January 23, 100 years after the first successful insulin injection, IDF Europe celebrated this major scientific breakthrough and raised awareness of the many structural changes that are still needed to place PwD at the centre of their care. 

In the past 100 years, many new medicines and technologies have been developed and a lot has been learned about the complexities of diabetes. However, issues of access still represent an obstacle to the fulfilment of PwD’s fundamental right to the highest attainable standard of health.

Technologies, tools and innovative approaches have the potential to revolutionise diabetes prevention, care and management and improve both the quality of life and the health outcomes of PwD. To play this role, their adoption should be based on the principle of inclusivity and follow a holistic and integrated approach to diabetes prevention, care and management.

Check our full statement here to read more about the structural changes that are needed to improve the lives of PwD.

EU-FUNDED PROJECTS

IDF Europe Youth Group and ISLET video: "It's good to be connected"

IDF Europe is part of the five-year EU Horizon 2020-funded project “ISLET - Advancing Innovative Stem Cell-based Therapy for Diabetes in Europe". Within this project, we recently initiated a dialogue between scientists and young people living with diabetes who are part of IDF Europe’s Youth group, YOURAH, to explore the best ways of broadening understanding of scientific research among the general public. As part of this, a video "It's good to be connected" was promoted last December during the ISLET annual meeting in Copenhagen to share the stories, inspirations, and experiences of young people living with diabetes. More content on connecting scientific research and the public is being developed by the group, and a Q&A live event will take place in Q1 of 2022.

Watch the video here.

Learn more about the ISLET project here.

Digicare4You Infographics

Two infographics were created for the DigiCare4You project on the promotion of healthy lifestyle for the prevention of type 2 diabetes and hypertension. The easy-to-read and eye catching infographics aim to reach a large audience across different age groups, nationalities, and socio-economic boundaries.

• The first poster focuses on physical activity for adults and children including a review of benefits and recommendations.

• The second poster on healthy eating for adults and children provides information on the types of food to look for and avoid followed by recommendations from the World Health Organization.

The two infographics will be translated in the different languages of the implementation countries in the months to come. 

Click here or on the images below to read the infographics.

MMD ACTIVITIES

Improving diabetes outcomes and quality of life for people living with diabetes - If Not Now, When?

Webinar hosted by MEP Christel Schaldemose and MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen

In January 1922, Leonard Thompson, a 14-year-old boy dying from Type 1 diabetes received the first-time insulin injection. Insulin saved Leonard’s life and diabetes was no longer a death sentence. In 2022, we celebrate the centenary of insulin discovery that triggered many advances in diabetes treatments and therapies, saving the lives of millions of PwD and reducing the daily burden of its management.

Yet, today there remains a general lack of awareness about the complexity and severity of diabetes among the public, some health professionals and many policy makers. As awareness is a prerequisite for action and visibility is key to reducing stigma and misconception about diabetes, on January 25 the MEPs Mobilising for Diabetes (MMD) Interest Group held a webinar to discuss the complexity of the disease, the influence of obesogenic environments, the impact of social inequalities and the psychological burden of this life-long condition. In light of the EU Non-Communicable Diseases initiative launched by the Commission in December, the webinar was an opportunity to highlight the priorities that are required to improve the lives of PwD, who represent 10% of the European population.

We would like to thank all the speakers who contributed to the event:

• MEP Christel Schaldemose, Member of the IMCO and AIDA committees and MMD Co-Chair

• Ms Maartje Roskams, Diabetes Advocate

• Professor Chantal Mathieu, EUDF President

• Dr Niti Pall, IDF Europe Chair

• Dr Jill Farrington, Coordinator for NCDs, WHO/Europe

• Ms Sabine Dupont, Senior Policy Consultant, IDF Europe

• MEP Sirpa Pietikäinen, Member of the ECON and FEMM committees and MMD Co-Chair

Visit the MMD website to watch the webinar and download the presentations.

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