European Platform for Patients Organisations, Science and Industry appoints new head

Brussels, 20 December 2005:  EuropaBio welcomes the appointment of Michael Griffith, as the new Chairman of the European Platform for Patient’s Organisations, Science and Industry (EPPOSI) of which EuropaBio is a supporting member. He takes over from Ysbrand Poortman who steps down as Chair after 3 years but will continue serving on the EPPOSI board.

EPPOSI is a patient led partner organisation, which has been operating on a European level out of Brussels for the past 10 years. It aims to establish consensus on healthcare issues relating to the development of therapies, diagnostics and devices and to meet unmet medical needs. It holds an annual workshop on therapy development in different European capitals, at which experts from the different sectors speak on the challenges to developing therapies for the thousands of conditions, which are still untreatable. In the past these workshops have focused largely on rare diseases.

EPPOSI also holds workshops on such important issues as the value of innovation, which in the current economic climate in Europe is of great importance, not only to patients but also to industry and governments.

Mr Griffith is Chief Executive of the Irish charity Fighting Blindness and Chair of the Medical Research Charities Group in Ireland and Debra Ireland. A former banker Michael has been working in a voluntary and professional capacity with research charities for over 20 years, and was largely responsible for the establishment and development of the two charities Fighting Blindness and Debra Ireland. He has been working with EPPOSI as a member of the Executive Committee for the last 5 years and has recently initiated a project to establish an Irish version of the European Platform, designed to bring the work of the European Platform back to Ireland.

In addition to working with the Irish charities, Mr Griffith also works internationally both with the fighting blindness societies (Retina International) and the EB societies (Debra International) and is member of the Board of the European Genetic Alliances’ Network (EGAN)

For more information, contact

Avril Daly, Fighting Blindness Tel +353 1 709 30 50 / Avril.daly@fightingblindness.ie

Adeline Farrelly, EuropaBio Tel: +32 2 735 0313 Direct: +32 2 739 1174

Mobile: +32 475 93 17 24 Email: a.farrelly@europabio.org

EPPOSI - www.epposi.org

Fighting Blindness - www.fightingblindness.ie

Debra International - www.debraireland.org

The Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG) - www.mrcg.ie

EGAN – European Genetic Alliances’ Network

About EuropaBio

EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, has 50 direct members operating worldwide and 25 national biotechnology associations representing some 1500 small and medium sized enterprises involved in research and development, testing, manufacturing and distribution of biotechnology products.

http://www.europabio.org