Some of Europe’s leading neurologists have committed to cross-national and collaborative research to help in the search for new therapies to tackle the global increase in neurological diseases.
At the third European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, this weekend (25-27 June), leading doctors and scientists voiced their strong commitment to European co-operation.
Prof Dr Günther Deuschl, of the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, who is EAN President, told delegates: “I am concerned about tendencies toward Europe scepticism and a short-sighted restriction to national interests, including research projects.
“Like climate change, the global increase in neurological diseases is a challenge that no one country can meet alone.
“Research per se succeeds and fails on the basis of international collaboration. This is especially true of the research-intensive field of neurology. It is only through cross-border efforts that we can better understand diseases such as strokes, dementia or Parkinson’s and find new preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative answers to them.”
Data from the European Brain Council shows that 220.7 million people in Europe suffer from at least one neurological disease, with headaches affecting 152.8 million, sleep disorders 44.9 million, strokes 8.2 million and dementia 6.3 million.
The direct and indirect costs of neurological diseases is €336 billion a year, with dementia, stroke and headaches being the most expensive to treat at €105 billion, €64 billion and €43 billion respectively.
And according to Eurostat, the number of over 65s in the EU double by the year 2060 to 52%, which presents a huge burden on those affected and their social environment, on society and on health care systems.
Prof Deuschl said Europe should do much more for the research of neurological diseases. A study by Bouillon et al that was published in the <i>The Lancet</i> in 2015 had shown that health care research accounts for only 4% of the €1.4 trillion spent on health care in the 28 EU member states. Only 2% of research spending comes from EU funds.
“90% of cross-border collaboration in research is financed by the EU. Unfortunately, only a handful of public funding providers are willing to allocate money to transnational projects. That is very regrettable,” said Professor Deuschl.
He said they should learn from cardiology research, which has shown that multi-centre studies have been found to have twice the impact as single-centre studies.
The European Brain Council has also confirmed the importance of a common European in its report The Value of Treatment.
“This document is a clear plea for European networks and common research platforms to share data and results, for strengthening the collaboration with European Reference Networks for Rare Diseases and for the development of Joint Actions and other EU initiatives,” said Professor Deuschl.
“I therefore call for an adequate level of research funding that not only allows thinking outside national boxes but actively calls on people to do so.”
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