It was a privilege to meet Alexandre Lourenço, President of the Portuguese Association of Hospital Managers, at the ECCO 2019 European Cancer Summit in Brussels to discuss his expert opinion on how we can introduce novel therapies into use in a sustainable way.
Questions
1. To what extent is access to innovative cancer treatments limited in Portugal and is there a similar issue in other European nations? (0:08)
2. Is restricted access to some cancer treatments resulting in poor patient outcomes, increased morbidity and earlier deaths? (0:44)
3. Treatments such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells are highly effective in the treatment of some cancers. Could access to this and other novel treatments be increased through increased funding and/or improved technologies? (1:19)
4. Can you describe the key aims of the Primary Care P4P initiative in Portugal and how it could improve primary care in cancer? (1:50)
5. The Association of European Cancer Leagues (ECL) Access to Medicines Taskforce and other organisations aim to improve the availability of new cancer treatments. What progress have these organisations made towards this goal and what remains to be done? (3:00)
Alexandre Lourenço has no conflicts of interest to declare in relation to this video.
Filmed in partnership with the European CanCer Organisation at the ECCO 2019 European Cancer Summit in Brussels, Belgium.
