ESiOR´s best wishes

What an Incredible Journey This Year Has Been!

As 2024 draws to a close, the elves at ESiOR are taking a moment to reflect on an amazing year of innovation, and collaboration. From delivering smarter solutions to unlocking impactful insights, we’ve had a truly remarkable year – thanks to our talented team and incredible partners!

Now, it’s time to spread a little holiday cheer and look ahead to the opportunities 2025 will bring. 

In the coming year, we’re gearing up for even more exciting projects in effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, predictive modelling, and data analytics, along with new partnerships and innovations to explore.

Here’s to continuing our journey together in 2025 and making it the most remarkable year yet!

Wishing you a joyful holiday season and an inspiring New Year!

Noora Jämsén has joined our team

It’s a pleasure to share some exciting news just before the holidays: Noora Jämsén has joined our team! 

Noora is a designer specialized in service design, and she is starting with us in the role of Service and Product Designer. She brings valuable expertise, fresh insights, and experience example from the technology industry. Noora has a strong passion for creating meaningful solutions that genuinely enhance user and customer experiences.

Her skills and enthusiasm for innovative development open up fantastic opportunities for us to grow and move forward. We’re thrilled to welcome her as part of our team!

Warmest welcome, Noora! 

5th Nordic RWE and AI conference 28-29 January 2025, Helsinki

5th Nordic RWE and AI conference: How will broad use of RWD and AI change Drug discovery and development and will the use of data improve the competitiveness of EU in R&D and result in value based decision making and healthcare?


Venue: University of Helsinki, Main Building Auditorium, Fabianinkatu 33, 00170 Helsinki, Finland Main Building, Fabianinkatu 33 | Opetustilat

Time: 28.1.2025, 12:00-17:30 and Networking Event 18:00-19:30 and 29.1.2025, 09:00-15:30 (times EET)


Day 1

12.00 Registration, networking and exhibition

12.50 Welcome and practicalities. Mia Bengtström Lecturer, University of Helsinki and Associate professor, Åbo Akademi University

13.00 Using RWE and AI in the development of Personalized Medicine to solve patient’s unmet medical needs and improving the competitiveness of EU. Anders Rething Borglykke, Vice President, Real World Evidence, Novo Nordisk A/S

13.25 EMA/CA vision on the use of RWD and AI. invited TBC

  • for assessment and approval with the aim to improve healthcare/treatment outcomes of medicine.
  • Darwin EU

Implementation of EHDS – how to improve the competitiveness of the Nordic Region by using the excellent RWD assets

13.50 TEHDAS2 and VALO Value from Nordic health data – VALO – Sitra. Markus Kalliola, Program Director, Coordinator of Joint Action Towards TEHDAS 2 and VALO projects

14.15 European Health Data Space – a stealth revolution. Richard Bergström, Vice President European Affairs, IQVIA

14.40 TBC

15.05 Coffee, exhibition and networking.

Use of RWD and AI towards value based decision making and healthcare

15.35 The global value of Nordic data – selected use cases. Emilie Toresson Grip, Director, Head of RWE and Analytics, Quantify Research

  • Overview of the key comparative advantages of the Nordic RWD landscape, compared to other US/EU RWD assets. Illustrated by highlighting examples of pan-Nordic research in collaboration with global pharma stakeholders, including the added value of Nordic data in international, multi-country studies

15.55 Secure Processing Environment (SPE) – Your Gateway from Individual Level RWD to RWE. Erkki Soini. CEO, ESiOR Oy. Chairman on the Board, Kuopio Health

16.15 Nordic data landscape today and tomorrow. Riikka-Leena Leskelä, Research Director and Senior Partner at Nordic Healthcare Group

  • Current possibilities to conduct Nordic RWE studies and how future changes in the data landscape will make data utilization easier

16.35 Use of RWD/RWE in medicines development and regulatory decision making. Sini Eskola, PhD Candidate at University of Utrecht and WHO Centre for Pharmaceutical Policy and Regulation; Director, Regulatory Strategy, EFPIA

16.55 Using Federated Data Networks and Common Data Models for Health Technology Assessment. Ravinder Claire, Scientific Adviser – Science Policy and Research Programme, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

17.20 Comparative effectiveness of first line pembrolizumab vs. chemotherapy in advanced non-small cell Lung-cancer after approval and reimbursement: A Norwegian Population-Based Cohort Study. Simon Boge Brant, PhD, NordicRWE

17.40 Thank you for the Day and walking to the City Hall


18.00- 19.30 The Networking Reception hosted by the City of Helsinki at the City Hall



Day 2

Use of RWD and AI towards value based decision making and healthcare contineous

Chairs: Martta Ranta, Head of Medical Research, Abbvie and Juha Laine, Nordic HEOR Manager and RWD Advisor, Roche

9.00 Value based healthcare. Irene Eriksson PhD, EMEA Partnership Lead, J&J

9.25 Building a Foundation for Evidence-Based Healthcare: The Impact of Real-Time Data in clinical decision making, Real-World Evidence Generation and on building Registries. Joakim Söderberg, Head of Business Development, BCB Medical

  • Traditionally, RWD has been derived from static extracts of registries, electronic medical records etc. These datasets are typically exported at fixed timepoints, with analyses conducted on snapshots of historical data. However, when RWD is generated from continuously updated, dynamic, “living” datasets, it introduces not only unprecedented opportunities but also novel risks and challenges. This transformation enables real-time insights that can improve clinical decision-making, enhance the quality of evidence generation, and redefine how registries are utilized for both research and practice.

9.45 Use of natural language processing and machine learning to extract smoking status from patient texts in Finnish data lakes: lung cancer outcomes related to smoking as case example. Olivia Hölsä, Data Scientist, Medaffcon Oy

  • Finnish data lakes provide endless RWE opportunities especially in oncological indications with access to deep clinical data. However, many clinically relevant variables there such as smoking status are widely recorded in free text format, and natural language processing methods are required to include them in RWE studies. We present a machine learning algorithm to identify patients’ smoking status from patient texts and lung cancer outcomes related to smoking as case example.

10:00 Why does the Nordics exceed in RWE – or could we do better?

Real-time hospital-level clinical cost-effectiveness RWD production and reporting at HUS/HUCH. Sami Pakarinen, Chief Medical Officer of Clinical Auditing (deputy) at HUS/HUCH

  • Nordic Case: Valo and EU Case: Oncovalue, implementing value-based oncology care at European cancer hospital

EU Case: IHI Prominent, digital platform for precision medicine. Linus Jönsson, Professor, Karolinska Institute

Fireside discussion moderated by Lisse-Lotte Hermansson.

Discussion with Sami Pakarinen and Linus Jönsson:

  • What are the challenges in RWD for cost effectiveness analysis?
  • Why is collaboration, data harmonization and interoperability important?
  • How can we avoid data access delays and continue to lead in the health data space?

10.40 Networking break

11.00 Real4Reg – Unlocking Real-World Data with AI. Anna-Maija Tolppanen, Professor, University of Easten Finland

  • Real4Reg is a consortium of ten European institutions which aims to promote the use of real-world data (national healthcare registers and claims data from Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Portugal) to support the regulatory decisions about medicines https://www.real4reg.eu/

11.25 The Power of Next-Gen Anonymization: Secure, Compliant, and Accessible Data. Tuomo Pentikäinen, CEO, VEIL.AI

  • AI-enhanced next-generation anonymization technology is transforming the data landscape. It improves access to real-world data for evidence generation, facilitates secure cross-border sharing of clinical research data, and enables privacy-compliant datasets for AI training.

11.45 HealthHub Finland EDIH – Auria Clinical Informatics – Agile Path for RWD Research. Arho Virkki, Chief Analytics Officer, Wellbeing Services County of South-West Finland (Varha)

12.05 Real World Evidence Reveal Unjustified Antibiotic Use for the treatment of acne. Johanna Vinblad, Manager HEOR, Market Access & Healthcare Consulting, PharmaLex (part of Cencora)


12.30-13.30 Lunch


Use of RWD and AI in Drug discovery and development

13.30 Transforming drug development in the future using Large Scale Data to find novel treatments for under-studied medical needs. William Hennah, Senior Scientist Genomics at Orion Pharma Oy

13.55 The power of combining Norwegian Healthdata and AI: A case example from Novartis and Akershus University Hospital. Novartis

14.30 Transforming Clinical Trial Practices through Real-World Data. Tero Ylisaukko-oja, CEO, founder, MedEngine Oy

  • Real-world data (RWD) have great potential to revolutionize clinical development, particularly in rare diseases. By leveraging RWD in natural history studies, researchers can gain valuable insights into disease progression and identify key factors—such as demographic, genetic, and environmental influences—that shape patient outcomes under current standards of care. These insights are crucial for designing clinical trials with optimal duration, meaningful endpoints, and the possibility of incorporating external control arms. Data from the Nordic countries provide a uniquely robust foundation for conducting these transformative studies.

14.50 TBC

15.15 TBC

15.25-15.30 Thank you for participating and funding, Mia Bengtström


We thank our supporters!

Inspiring Days Ahead: ISPOR Europe & Pharmacy Days

We’re thrilled to be part of these two events this November, bringing insights and innovation to healthcare and health economics.

Pharmacy Days 2024

This weekend, November 15-16, we’re attending Pharmacy Days 2024 at the Helsinki Exhibition Center. A fantastic platform for advancing well-being services, we’re excited to showcase four innovative posters aimed at driving industry impact.

ISPOR Europe 2024: Driving Health Innovation

From November 17-20, we’ll be in Barcelona for the ISPOR Europe 2024 conference, the premier event in health economics and outcomes research (HEOR).

This year’s theme, “Generating Evidence Toward Health and Well-Being,” underscores the vital role of scientific evidence in enhancing global health. The event will dive into the science, practice, and policies of healthcare value assessment, offering a broader perspective on health economics and outcomes research (HEOR). Key topics include the physical, mental, and social dimensions of healthcare innovations

We’re looking forward to engaging discussions, sharing ideas, and learning. If you’re attending, let’s connect! 

Pharmacy Days 2024 at Helsinki Exhibition Center- We are also there!

At Pharmacy days 2024, we will present no less than four innovative posters, the results of each of which will help to increase the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the welfare industry and wellbeing services counties sector:

  • Integrating Architecture Methodology into Health Technology Assessments and Pharmacoeconomic Evaluations 
Väätäinen S, Soini E. Integrating Architecture Methodology into Health Technology Assessments and Pharmacoeconomic Evaluations. Pharmacy days 2024 [poster]. 

  • The Benefits of Conducting Clinical Drug Trials in the Finnish Public Health care: The Society Gains 10 Million Euros of Value per Trial
Väätäinen S, Ehlers P, Tamminen N, Soini E. The Benefits of Conducting Clinical Drug Trials in the Finnish Public Health Care: The Society Gains 10 Million Euros of Value per Trial. Pharmacy days 2024 [poster]. 
  • Pharmaceutical Work Provided by the Finnish Community Pharmacies Results to Significant Cost Savings and Value for Society
Haikonen-Salo L, Jalkanen K, Väätäinen S, Mankinen P, Soini E. Pharmaceutical Work Provided by the Finnish Community Pharmacies Results to Significant Cost Savings and Value for Society. Pharmacy days 2024 [poster]. 
  • Comparison of SPESiOR and Other Secure Processing Environment (SPE) -type Environments from Finnish, Nordic, European, and Global Settings
Soini E, Väätäinen S. Comparison of SPESiOR and Other Secure Processing Environment (SPE) -type Environments from Finnish, Nordic, European, and Global Settings. Pharmacy days 2024 [poster]. 
See you at Pharmacy days 15–16 November at the Helsinki Exhibition Center!
 
Additional information: Erkki Soini

HealthTech Investor Summit Connecting European HealthTech Entrepreneurs and Investors

We are participating in the HealthTech Investor Summit on 9-11 December 2024 at the Bruges Congress and Convention Center (BMCC), Belgium.

The HealthTech Investor Summit is the only event connecting European healthtech entrepreneurs with the investors, clusters and mentors they need to succeed. The future lies at the crossroads of health and technology. This is a unique space, where healthtech, medtech, and digital solutions have the power to revolutionize people’s lives.

More information about the HealthTech Investor Summit

ESiOR´s CEO Erkki Soini, one of the speakers at the Digital Health Society Summit

We are excited to announce that Erkki Soini will be speaking at the Digital Health Society Summit on November 6th, under the theme “Who Are the Champions in Our Ecosystems – Deep Dive into Data & Digital Work of Ecosystems in the Global ECHAlliance Network” together with Andy Bleaden from ECHAlliance – The Global Health Connector and Michael Frandsen from WARD 24/7 (Denmark).

The 6th Digital Health Society Summit is set to take place virtually on November 5-6, 2024. This year’s theme focuses on “Modernization in Healthcare over the Next Five Years: How Will Healthcare Embrace Digitalization and Catch Up with Other Sectors?” The Summit will address the challenges healthcare systems face in adopting digital technologies while highlighting the potential benefits. It aims to foster connections among stakeholders from public and private sectors, including governments, businesses, academia, and civil society, building on ECHAlliance’s collaborative efforts through the Global Health Connector Partnership, which spans regions including Africa, India, the Americas, and the Far East.

More information about the Digital Health Society Summit

Additional information: Erkki Soini

The Finngenious Symposium convened a diverse group of professionals

On September 30, 2024, over 400 professionals gathered for a symposium organized by the Finnish Biobank Cooperative- FINBB and Fingenious.

The symposium convened medical, biotechnology, and scientific professionals from around the globe, presenting a series of real-life cases in neurology, immunology, oncology, ophthalmology, and rare diseases.

The cases highlighted by international experts showcased the research opportunities available through Finnish biobanks, emphasizing the unique genetic heritage of the Finnish population as a model for target discovery in personalized medicine.

During the event, Erkki Soini, CEO of ESiOR, provided insights into a predictive analysis of clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness for women aged 20 to 79 years who carry susceptible BRCA1, BRCA2, or PALB2 mutations, based on Finnish biobank samples. He compared the recall of these women to the current practice of no recall, focusing on mutations associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.

Fingenious offers a comprehensive digital platform for academic and industry researchers worldwide, facilitating access to all public biobanks in Finland for biospecimen, data, and study participant discovery.

To view The Symposium recording, please visit here.

Additional information: Erkki Soini

Wellbeing services counties & pharmaceutical treatment 2024

Are you interested to hear how reforming pharmaceutical care and pharmaceutical financing as well as guidance and evaluation have started to be implemented both nationally and regionally? This opportunity gives an overview of the current situation in the welfare sectors and increases your understanding of the perspectives of different stakeholders.

ESiOR’s CEO Erkki Soini will also give his speech on the topic- how quality registries can be utilized in creating more effective social and health care

So come along to network, share experiences, and collaboratively innovate the future through engaging discussions!

For more information about the event [Finnish]

Photo: Stock Images

Cardiovascular diseases represent a significant concern in Finland

Janne Martikainen (ESiOR Oy) discusses the topic on MTV3's Huomenta Suomi program

In the interview, the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases and the financial costs came up. A phenomenon that is brought up less frequently is the prevention of a second heart attack, i.e. how to prevent the recurrence of a heart attack. Janne Martikainen discussed the topic together with senior cardiologist Anne-Mari Hekkala from the Finnish Heart Association. 

Approximately 20,000 heart attacks occur in Finland each year. Lifestyle factors such as smoking, physical activity level and obesity increase the risk of getting sick. Coronary artery disease is a chronic disease that must be treated to keep the disease under control. The risk of a heart attack is increased for those who have had already an event. Challenges in treatment include patients’ lack of understanding of the chronicity of the disease and the lack of resources in health care. From the pharmaceutical side, medication adherence can also be highlighted. 

The latest information on the implementation of treatment for heart patients and the quality assessment was carried out by Novartis, ESiOR and the wellbeing services county of North Karelia. The survey showed that only about 25% of the patients met the treatment goal. One in three returns to the hospital within five years of the first event. The costs are high for Finland. A recent estimate of the costs of cardiovascular diseases per Finn is approximately €640 per year. 

For more information: Janne Martikainen 

Picture: Stock Images

Lisää otsikkotekstisi tähän

The pharmaceutical work by the pharmacies holds immense societal value

Pharmaceutical work provided by Finnish community pharmacies save wellbeing service counties about 855 million euros in health services per year

In an evaluation we conducted for the Association of Finnish Pharmacies, we discovered  that the Finnish community pharmacies save public healthcare approximately 950 million euros annually; 855 million euros for the service providers (wellbeing service counties) and 95 million euros for the pharmacy customers. We assessed the value of pharmaceutical work done in Finnish community pharmacies from the perspectives of pharmacy customers, wellbeing service counties, and the society.  

Of the pharmaceutical services provided by pharmacies, self-care counselling brings most savings to Finnish wellbeing service counties, which save about 518 million euros per year thanks to the self-care counselling. Based on the survey to Finnish doctors, for instance, the number of primary care doctor visits would increase by approximately 20% without the self-care counselling provided in pharmacies. Of the doctors who responded to the survey, 70% would keep the distribution of over-the-counter medicines in pharmacies. The biggest factor contributing to this was securing medication counselling and safety. 

In our evaluation we estimated that the total societal value of pharmaceutical work is at least 2.6 billion euros per year, even with conservative estimation. In addition to the use of health services, the evaluation considered health benefits and avoided absences from work.  The economic model used in the analyses combined national statistics of health care service utilization, health care service costs, research literature, public and unpublished reports, and an electronic survey of Finnish physicians. 

Additional information: Erkki Soini

Association of Finnish Pharmacies: Publication 23.9.2024 [In Finnish]

Picture: Stock Images

Lisää otsikkotekstisi tähän

Self-care counselling by community pharmacies reduces the public health care provider costs

Assessment: Self-care counselling carried out by the Finnish community pharmacies provides wellbeing service counties with more than half a billion euros of savings

In an evaluation we carried out for the Association of Finnish Pharmacies, we found that self-care counselling provided by the Finnish community pharmacies saves public health care service providers (wellbeing service counties) 518 million euros per year. We assessed the value of pharmaceutical work done in Finnish community pharmacies from the perspectives of pharmacy customers, wellbeing service counties, and society. Savings for the providers result, for example, from reduction in primary care physician visits. According to the survey we addressed to Finnish physicians, these would increase by more than 20% without self-care counselling provided by the pharmacies.

According to our analysis, self-care counselling produces the most societal value among the areas of pharmaceutical work. Other areas include e.g. prescription medication counselling, checking prescriptions for errors and for medication interactions, and resolving them as needed.

In the assessment, we modelled the impact of the pharmaceutical work done in Finnish community pharmacies for the year 2023 with an evaluation model based on published research, public and unpublished reports, and an electronic survey of Finnish physicians carried out in spring 2024. The Association of Finnish Pharmacies will present the full results of the assessment in autumn 2024.

 

Additional information: Erkki Soini

Association of Finnish Pharmacies: STT Info (https://www.sttinfo.fi/tiedote/70406609/selvitys-apteekkien-itsehoitoneuvonta-tuo-hyvinvointialueille-yli-puolen-miljardin-euron-saastot?publisherId=2014&lang=fi) [In Finnish]

Picture: Association of Finnish Pharmacies/Vuokko Salo