Motion for a recommendation | Doc. 13189 | 24 April 2013

Innovative medical treatments of infectious diseases

Signatories: Mr Latchezar TOSHEV, Bulgaria, EPP/CD ; Mr Pedro AGRAMUNT, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr José María BENEYTO, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Márton BRAUN, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Ms Iva DIMIC, Slovenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Şaban DİŞLİ, Turkey, EPP/CD ; Mr Jim DOBBIN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Andrzej HALICKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Mike HANCOCK, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Ferenc KALMÁR, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Ms Stella KYRIAKIDES, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Mr José MENDES BOTA, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr Rubén MORENO PALANQUES, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr João Bosco MOTA AMARAL, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr József NAGY, Slovak Republic, EPP/CD ; Mr Pasquale NESSA, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Carmen QUINTANILLA, Spain, EPP/CD ; Mr Bernard SABELLA, Palestine ; Mr Kimmo SASI, Finland, EPP/CD ; Mr Jim SHERIDAN, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Egidijus VAREIKIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

The Parliamentary Assembly takes into consideration the serious effects and consequences for human life and health caused by chronic infectious diseases and the various forms of cancers.

Every year 750 000 new cases of liver cancer occur worldwide caused mainly by chronic or acute Hepatitis B and C infection. Over 170 million people worldwide live with Hepatitis C and a significant percentage of the population in the Mediterranean region suffer from chronic Hepatitis B infection. The efficacy of the conventional treatment of these diseases has limits which require to search for more appropriate methods to eliminate such diseases.

It is urgent to find new therapeutic solutions and it is encouraging to note that the new research on innovative methods for medical treatment like targeted immunotherapy, including therapeutic vaccination with a viral vector, oncolytic viruses and the use of monoclonal antibodies is very promising for a proper response to these problems.

The Assembly calls on the Committee of Ministers to pay attention to the problems linked to the spread of infectious diseases in Europe and to give a new and strong impetus to the development of new innovative methods for their treatment.