Driving the EU's Non-Communicable Disease Initiative: Sharing best practices and empowering equal access to stroke prevention and care 'A meeting organised and funded by the BMS-Pfizer Alliance'

The panel discussion will bring a range of health policy and stroke and CVD expertise to the table, facilitated by experienced health policy moderator, Brian Maguire from EurActiv:

• Arlene Wilkie, Director General, Stroke Alliance for Europe
• Dr. Valeria Caso, Former President, European Stroke Organisation
• Trudie Lobban (MBE), CEO and Founder, Atrial Fibrillation Association
• Artur Furtado, Deputy Head of Unit, European Commission
• Sara Cerdas, Member of the European Parliament (S&D, PT)
• Health Attaché, Permanent Representation to the EU (tbc)

The EU has published its first initiative focused on combating NCDs in Europe. Arriving as our healthcare systems face increased economic pressure, this action is incredibly timely. If harnessed completely, it has potential to drive policy action focused on disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care that will both improve the lives of patients across Europe and protect healthcare system sustainability.

CVD, including stroke, are prioritised by the Initiative, having not previously been formally recognised and placed on the EU’s health policy agenda. This is welcome given beliefs that stroke is a health crisis still not addressed appropriately by policymakers. Despite being largely preventable, stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability in Europe. An estimated 1 in 4 people are likely to have a stroke during their lifetime, and it cost 32 European countries total €60 bn in 2017 alone.

Whilst this renewed focus is welcome, EU level action is only the beginning for Europe on stroke prevention. The coming months will require better, stakeholder participation to translate these good ideas into policies that are taken up by Member States and other European countries, which can help lead to better patient outcomes. This is particularly important for AF related stroke, which will be addressed separately to the majority of stroke.