Myeloma Patients Europe (MPE) recently held the first face-to-face meeting of the Advocate Development Programme (ADP) in Stockholm, Sweden during the European Haematology Association (EHA) Annual Congress 2018.
Chaired by leading patient advocate, Jan Geissler (Patvocates), the two-day session covered a wide-range of topics relating to clincial development of new medicines and pipeline drugs in myeloma and AL amyloidosis.
Highlights included talks on the latest developments in myeloma and AL amyloidosis from three leading European haematologists; Dr Laurent Garderet from Saint Antoine Hospital Paris, Prof. Dr Sonia Zweegman from VU University Medical Centre Amsterdam and Dr Anna Sureda, Dexeus University Hospital, Barcelona. Other talks covered topics critical to patient advocates such as the importance of patient data and evidence to decision-making.
Following the ADP sessions, participants went to the EHA Annual Congress, joining in the EHA Capacity Building Programme and attending scientific and patient advocacy sessions. The MPE ADP team provided daily debriefs on congress highlights and a “poster walk” introducing key poster presentations at the congress.
About the MPE Advocate Development Programme
The ADP face-to-face session is part of a year-long learning programme involving six myeloma and AL amyloidosis advocates from across Europe and further afield. This year, the ADP has six advocates participating from Armenia, Sweden, Israel, Macedonia and Spain.
Through tailored webinars and four face-to-face meetings, the aim is to help myeloma and AL amyloidosis advocates to understand the research and development process of drugs, from the preclinical stages through to post-marketing surveillance and national access. The programme also includes attendance and participation at the EHA Annual Congress, the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) Annual Meeting and the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Europe meeting.
You can also find further information on the ADP website here: https://www.mpeurope.org/what-we-do/programmes/mpe-advocate-development-programme/
How can I get involved?
As the ADP 2018 has already begun, it is currently closed to members for recruitment. However, MPE will be advertising for next year’s participants in early 2019. Please keep an eye out on the MPE website or email if you have any questions.
