8th Health Challenges Congress. Adamed Pharma represented in the debate about drug security in Poland and in the jury of the Start-Up-Med competition

“Is Poland secure in terms of medications?” This issue was discussed in an Oxford-style debate during the 8th Health Challenges Congress in Katowice, Poland. The participants of the debate paid particular attention to drug security of Poland in light of the war and pandemic. Based on the experience gained during the previous years, which were marked by multiple crises and unknowns, conclusions were drawn and future recommendations made.

Two teams presented their arguments for and against the thesis set in the panel’s title. The representatives of public administration stood for Poland as a country that provides drug security: Maciej Miłkowski, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Health, Radosław Sierpiński, MD, PhD, President of the Medical Research Agency, Kamila Malinowska,  Director of the Office of the President of the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System, Professor Marcin Czech, President of the Polish Pharmacoeconomics Society and Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Health in 2017–2019, and Jarosław Frąckowiak, PhD, President of the Board of PEX PharmaSequence. Counterarguments were presented by: Katarzyna Dubno, Director of Public Affairs and Health Economics at Adamed Pharma, Aneta Grzegorzewska, Head of Corporate Communication and Public Affairs at Gedeon Richter Polska, Krzysztof Kopeć, President of the Management Board of the Polish Association of Pharma Industry Employers – National Drug Producers, Sebastian Szymanek, President of the Board of Polpharma SA, and Marek Tomków, Vice President of the Polish Pharmaceutical Chamber.

Katarzyna Dubno mentioned in the introduction that drug security cannot be viewed as a static picture – this extremely important issue must be approached in a dynamic way. “Today, Poland is secure in terms of drugs, but are we ready for crises that will come? We must prepare for these crises today, and we must do it together. In the essential alliance of national drug producers and pharmacists with the government, each of these parties is a significant link, and only together can we create this unbreakable chain of security.”

She underlined that drug security is an unquestionable priority for all discussion participants. Katarzyna Dubno appreciated joint efforts saying: “We have a fantastic, buoyant pharma industry, remarkable doctors and pharmacists, and during the pandemic we all proved that we are trustworthy partners of the government to provide drug security”.

During the session, Radosław Sierpiński, PhD, the President of the Medical Research Agency, had a similar view on the recent experiences. In his opinion, Poland is “quite secure” in terms of drugs, which is “supported with evidence, and not only by prognoses.” Minister Maciej Miłkowski emphasized the issues of local production and ensuring availability by storing drugs in our country as important aspects of securing Poland against a drug crisis.

The debate was concluded with a draw, and both teams agreed that they must act towards the common goal as the health and life of Polish patients is at stake.

The contribution of Adamed Pharma was also emphasized during the 5th Start-Up-Med Competition which took place concurrently with the Congress. As in the previous years, Marcin Szczeciński, Investment Manager, was a member of the jury. The aim of the competition is to support medical start-ups by means of selecting and honoring solutions that represent the most creative product or process innovations with significant impact both for patients and the healthcare system. This year’s winners of the Start-Up-Med Competition 2023 were: the University Clinical Centre and project ZWR-HOSPANEL in the category of the medical/research facility; Diagendo and project EndoRNA in the category of Start-Up Innovations.

During the formal Gala of the Health Challenges Congress, the editorial team of Rynek Zdrowia announced the ranking of 50 most influential women in the healthcare sector in Poland. The Chapter distinguished managers, doctors, scientists, researchers, politicians, officials, social activists and representatives of patient advocacy and healthcare development groups, whose activity contributed to improvements in the healthcare system and had an impact on the development of medicine in Poland.

This honorable group included Adamed Pharma’s representative – Katarzyna Dubno.

Congratulations to all honored individuals! The full list can be found here. 

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The 8th Health Challenges Congress took place on 9–10 March 2023. Every year, the event attracts outstanding specialists from over a dozen medical disciplines, representatives of science and patient organizations, decision-makers impacting the development of the healthcare system in Poland as well as representatives of the economy, business, pharmaceutical industry, and financial and insurance markets. The main idea behind the Congress is to address key challenges faced by the healthcare system in the areas of therapy, organization and finances, and technology.