The European Commission organized, on 24 June, a conference to discuss the new Regulation, its impact, and implementation. The Conference focused on meeting the new Regulation’s safety and quality standards, achieving sustainable supply of critical SoHOs, SoHO innovation and how the Regulation is a key pillar of the European Health Union. During the Conference, optimal use of SoHOs was highlighted as an important pillar of protecting patients and achieving sustainability. Speakers underlined that the SoHO Regulation enables innovation while the focus remains on ensuring patients’ access to treatment. Lastly, representatives from the Commission and national authorities underlined the existing challenges for the national implementation of the Regulation, ways in which the EU can support member states during the process and the role of EU cooperation and cross-border plans.

In addition, the European Commission recently conducted a consultation survey on current management practices for substances of human origin in hospitals as part of the ReaderSHip Project, which aims to assist hospitals in complying with the new legislation, focusing on enhancing the quality and safety of SoHO applications in hospitals, and minimize the burden on healthcare professionals. The results will be available in the next months.