January 27th marked the launch of the EUPATI Toolbox on Medicines R&D – a massive online resource of over 3000 articles, factsheets, slides, infographics, webinars and videos on topics related to medicines research and development, including how patients can be involved throughout this process.  Discover this important new EUPATI Toolbox here.

EUPATI (or the European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation) emerged because patients across Europe want and need more information on how medicines are developed. EUPATI focuses on education and training; to increase the capacity and capability of patients to understand and contribute to medicines research and development and also improve the availability of objective, reliable, patient-friendly information for the public.

On the other hand patient advocates play a key role in providing information, but may lack education and training to participate in research and drug development processes. The EUPATI Expert Training Course began in 2014 and is a unique opportunity offering patients and patient advocates expert-level training in medicines research and development. 8 Irish patients are currently enrolled.This innovative patient-led academy aims at developing educational material, training courses and a public internet library to educate patient representatives and the lay public about all processes involved in medicines development.  The aim is to help patients be more educated and involved in the research and development process of new medicines by offering reliable, objective, comprehensive, lay-friendly information and training.  By the time graduates finish their studies, they will have completed an intensive 14 months of e-learning and face-to-face training sessions on the medicines development and research process. So in Ireland we will have 8 EUPATI-certified patient experts equipped with the knowledge to make meaningful contributions to medicines research in Ireland and across Europe.