“Italy like Europe and the rest of the world is hit by this tsunami which is represented by the revolution of advanced therapies. We, however, pioneered these therapies, because we originally developed some of the products for rare and ultra-rare diseases that then went into approval in Europe. However, this advantage that we had unfortunately acquired has now been lost, at least in part. Among the reasons, there is certainly the fact that in Italy it is more difficult to create the conditions to create a system, because all the pieces of the mosaic necessary within this paradigm shift represented by advanced therapies are put together ”. This was stated by Giulio Pompilio, scientific director of Irccs Monzino Cardiology Center in Milan, former member of the EMA committee of advanced therapies and president of the Ota scientific committee, speaking at the event “At² Advanced talks on Advanced therapies – retreAT: tracing the path of advanced therapies in Italy “, scheduled today in Rome.
And from the meeting it emerged that 2023 will be the year of the ‘retreAT’, the first and most ambitious project in Italy conceived by the Advanced Therapies Observatory, which brings together experts and institutions, pushing them not only to identify and analyze critical issues starting from points of different views and experiences but, above all, to formulate concrete and immediately applicable proposals.
“The purpose of retreAT – emphasizes Pompilio – will be to analyze the critical issues regarding advanced therapies on specific areas, thanks to the comparison between researchers, clinicians, companies, patient associations and institutions, and formulate a series of proposals and strategies to be adopted in a near future “. At retreAT “five thematic discussion tables will be set up regarding public-private partnerships, clinical research, production, economic sustainability and access, organization and patient care. The work of the five tables will be presented with a two-day residential event scheduled for 2023. Starting from this extensive work – he concludes – a document will be drawn up, in which the outcomes and operational proposals for a growth in therapies will be collected advanced in Italy. Proposals that will then be presented and discussed with the competent institutional representatives “.