How can Europe turn its vast health data resources into better therapies, faster innovation, and improved patient outcomes? In this DLD Health expert panel discussion, moderator Björn M. Eskofier (LMU Munich), describes the European Health Data Space as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to use health data responsibly for AI-driven medicine and better patient care.
“You could argue that Europe is sitting on one of the world’s richest gold mines when it comes to health data”, Eskofier says. “Yet somehow we are still struggling to turn this wealth into faster innovation, into better therapies and into better outcomes for patients.”
Mervi Siltanen, acting director of FinData, presents the Finnish model as a template for the European Health Data Space (EHDS). FinData operates as a national health data access body that grants permits for research and pseudonymizes or anonymizes data before researchers gain access, she explains.
So far, FinData has granted 1,800 permits over six years, with roughly 900 researchers currently working on around 150 projects, Siltanen says. “Everyone can go to FinData’s website and see which organizations have been granted a permit over the years and what are the specific projects and the project goals that the permits were for.”
Guillaume Wendt, Evidence Generation Director at Novartis Germany, argues that health data enables more personalized clinical trials by improving understanding of patient trajectories, potentially shortening development timelines and getting therapies to patients earlier.
Watch the video to explore this session in detail.
