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Up-scaling the global univocal identification of medicines

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

A step towards standardising prescriptions

The cross-border mobility of European patients and the univocal identification of medicinal projects are directly related. Currently, 22 Member States are part of the eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure and are expected to exchange e-prescriptions and patient summaries by the end of 2021. However, this requires EU-wide adoption of the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) Identification of Medicinal Products (IDMP) suite of standards. The EU-funded UNICOM project will focus on the conversion of key regulatory and clinical processes to use IDMP. By bringing together all relevant actors, the project will help to address all the associated challenges. Work will centre on the implementation of EU and national SPOR (substances, products, organisations, referentials) databases, including establishing an EU Substance Reference System (EU-SRS).

Objective

This innovation action will give a powerful impulse to implementation of ISO IDMP (ID of Medicinal Products) standards in EU Member States drug databases, supporting safe cross-border ePrescription/eDispensation and effective pharmacovigilance. Once EU-interoperable data on medicines taken by patients become available, further benefits will accrue through better health data for improved clinical decision support, patient empowerment, public health and clinical research. New opportunities will arise for pharma industry, software developers, SMEs providing smart apps and others, thereby fostering their innovation capacity and competitiveness.
The many challenges still to be faced on this road will be tackled by a powerful consortium assembling all relevant actors, with critical mass for impact throughout the EU. After 10 years of development, the IDMP suite of standards is ready for implementation. Though some isolated implementation work has started, the time is now ripe for a more concerted effort towards large-scale implementation, contributing to this global interoperability endeavour and delivering benefits to EU citizens. Project ambition centres on conversion of key regulatory and clinical processes to use IDMP. These information value chains must be converted over their full length from data input to data repositories to data usage. Project work spans all three areas, focussing on the most challenging, the implementation of EU and national SPOR (substances, products, organisations, referentials) data bases, including establishing an EU Substance Reference System (EU-SRS). Such information is fundamental to cross-border ePrescription where safe dispensation may require reliable identification of substances in available products.
19 countries are represented, including 26 national Drug and eHealth Agencies. Stakeholders are involved through their associations. Duration is 4 years, budget € 21 m, with requested funding € 19 m.

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Call for proposal

H2020-SC1-DTH-2018-2020

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Sub call

H2020-SC1-DTH-2019

Funding Scheme

IA - Innovation action

Coordinator

EMPIRICA GESELLSCHAFT FUR KOMMUNIKATIONS UND TECHNOLOGIEFORSCHUNG MBH
Net EU contribution
€ 1 036 000,00
Address
Oxfordstrasse 2
53111 Bonn
Germany

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Region
Nordrhein-Westfalen Köln Bonn, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
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Other funding
€ 444 000,00

Participants (40)

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EC signature date 11 November 2019
Last update: 28 August 2023

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/875299

European Union, 2023