The Conference Forum Brings "Patients as Partners" to Europe

Patients as Partners Europe, a conference shaped by patients who have been involved in clinical trials, takes a comprehensive view of the patient experience and how to engage with them across the entire clinical trial continuum. Originally presented in Philadelphia, PA, the agenda includes patient-centric protocol design, recruitment, engagement, communicating results and patient ambassadors and educators.

New York, NY -- The Conference Forum is pleased to announce the inaugural Patients as Partners Europe (Patients EU) event in London on February 6-7, 2017 in response to requests from European attendees at the 2016 Patients as Partners US event.

Patients as Partners is the only conference where the research is led equally by patients alongside industry, government and academia. The conference is devoted to understanding not only the patient perspective on the design of a clinical trial, but also the patient experience in the clinical trial.

“We are grateful to our European attendees at the Patients as Partners US event for encouraging and supporting us in presenting this patient-led event in London this February,” said Kate Woda, Program Director.

“At least one confirmed patient speaker is represented for the topic at hand at the majority of sessions, which is vital to ensure the patient perspective is represented,” said Valerie Bowling, Executive Director.

Featured sessions include:

• Multi-stakeholder panel on “How Patient Perspectives Add Value to Access Decisions”
• Progress report discussion on “Partnering with Patients in the Development and Lifecycle of Medicines: A Call to Action,” moderated Nicholas Brooke, Patient Focused Medicines Development (PFMD)
• Industry case studies with Amgen Europe, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca Europe on incorporating patient involvement
• Insights into the European Patients Academy on Therapeutic Innovation  (EUPATI) training and implementation
• Discussion of “How Industry and Patients Can Work Collaboratively to Achieve Joint Goals in Medicines Development”

Additionally, each session seeks to put ideas into action and must demonstrate the what, where, when and how behind the topic. For example, when addressing the topic of “How to Incorporate Patient Insights in Clinical Research,” the speakers will show the planning process, implementation and tools used to obtain the patient insights. Speakers will also demonstrate how these insights were used to co-create solutions with patients and measure the impact of those initiatives.

Patients EU will also present an “Ask the Patient” program enabling attendees to meet face-to-face with patients, who have experienced at least one clinical trial. These patients will be attending Patients EU, providing a unique opportunity to learn about the realities of a clinical trial directly from the patient’s point of view. The meetings with patients will be both assigned and unassigned throughout the program.

Patients EU is accredited by “Patients Included” to help address what matters most to patients to enable them to support clinical research. “Patients Included” provides a blueprint for:

• Understanding and incorporating the patient’s voice in designing clinical trials and developing a clinical endpoint
• Vastly improving the patient’s entire experience in a clinical trial
• Empowering the patient in the new medicines development process

The idea for Patients as Partners began six years ago when Greg Simon, currently Executive Director, White House Cancer Moonshot, asked a Conference Forum audience, “When was the last time you thanked your patients for being in a clinical trial?” No one raised their hand. Clearly, there was a need for a conference on engaging with patients in clinical trials with greater empathy and service. The Conference Forum began to research the topic within the pharmaceutical industry and quickly realized the necessity for research primarily with the patients. For more information, visit www.theconferenceforum.org.

About Patients as Partners

Patients EU is co-produced with patients, industry, academia, government and nonprofit organizations to establish a well-rounded program that addresses the needs of all stakeholders seeking to implement and advance patient involvement across the entire clinical development continuum. The Patients EU program is co-located with DPharm EU at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel London Kensington in February 2017. For more information, visit here or go to www.theconferenceforum.org. There is a 15% launch discount off the first early bird registration with code PEUL15.

About the Conference Forum

The Conference Forum is a life science industry research firm that develops conferences primarily around how to get therapeutics to patients faster. The company examines and challenges the complex ecosystem of drug development and delivery, bringing ideas together from a variety of sources to help advance clinical research with common goals that are patient-focused. The company also presents PharmaTalkRadio with free podcasts for the life science industry and patient advocacy. For more information, visit www.theconferenceforum.org.