The workshop brought together colleagues from Austria, Finland, France, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Greece, as well as representatives from Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (DG HERA).
Progress in Work Package 8
Work Package 8 led by the French Ministry of Health and NOMA in collaboration, focuses particularly on the possibilities for the safe use of crisis-related products after their expiration date and opportunities for donation or rotation of products nearing expiration.
On day 1 of the workshop, the participants received status reports on EMA's pilot project regarding shelf-life extension, DG HERA's work on the “Compendium for EU-level stockpiling of medical countermeasures,” and other aspects of the JA Stockpile itself.
Identifying practical solutions
Following a thorough review of the JA Stockpile progress made so far, participants engaged in discussions about the issues the work package aims to address. We have so far done literature search and participated in a survey. In the group work we discussed what information is needed in addition, to be able to propose relevant actions and solutions.
National experiences and shared challenges
Day 2 offered a recap of the previous day's group work and introduced new questions for discussion. Between these sessions, each participating country had the opportunity to present their national experiences related to the workshop's themes. Additionally, Finland delivered an online presentation about their experiences managing their rescEU stockpile. In the group work on day 2 we discussed regulations and legislation: which are the most relevant and what flexibility is allowed within them.
The value of meeting in person
“Meeting in person proved to be highly beneficial, especially with so many people working toward shared goals. It fosters a completely different level of engagement and drives the project forward in a way that virtual meetings on Teams simply cannot achieve”, says NOMA’s project manager Helga Festøy
“Moreover, it provided an excellent opportunity to build stronger relationships with colleagues from other countries”, Festøy adds.
JA Stockpile workshop participants gathered in Oslo. Photo: Norwegian Medical Products Agency