On May 23rd, the Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) and the European Stroke Organization (ESO) are presenting the Stroke Action Plan for Europe (2018-2030) at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Ipsen is delighted to sponsor a SAFE project for the 2nd year in a row, after the Burden of Stroke in Europe report presented at the European Parliament in May 2017.

Last year’s report showed that stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and disability in Europe, despite compelling evidence that it is preventable, treatable and manageable.

Based on the above, SAFE and ESO decided to co-develop the Stroke Action Plan for Europe (2018-2030) that evaluates the latest evidence-based knowledge on the management of stroke and sets targets for the decade to follow.

SAFE-ESO action plan is building on the previous 1995 Helsingborg Declaration on Stroke Management and 2006 Helsingborg Declaration on European Stroke Strategies. Both declarations were sponsored by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and provided actions as well as targets for the improvement of stroke management and quality of care.

The Stroke Action Plan for Europe (2018-2030) focuses on seven domains for actions:

1. Primary prevention
2. Organisation of stroke services
3. Management for acute stroke
4. Secondary prevention and organised follow-up
5. Rehabilitation
6. Evaluation of stroke outcome and quality assessment
7. Life after stroke

Historically, Life after stroke was considered under the Rehabilitation umbrella. Together with SAFE, which represents stroke patients and caregivers, Ipsen helped raising the profile of life after stroke and the crucial role of rehabilitation in the stroke patient journey.

Ipsen is delighted to see that for the first time it is specifically addressed as a category on its own and that specific targets were set for 2030, including the setting of “Minimum standards […] for what every stroke survivor should receive regardless of where they live. This should include a 6-month review and tailored care plan, repeated at 12 months and annually thereafter.”

The launch at the European Parliament on May 23rd will gather Members of the European Parliament, representatives from the European Commission, representatives from regional and national stroke associations as well as from other pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

The full action plan is expected to be officially published in ESO Journal in June-July 2018.

SAFE is now preparing a new report focused on the Economic Burden of Stoke expected in 2019.

About SAFE
The Stroke Alliance for Europe (SAFE) is a non-profit-making organisation that represents a range of patient groups from across Europe, whose mutual goal is to drive stroke prevention up the European political and public agenda, and reduce the incidence and understanding of stroke through education. SAFE was formed in 2004 and comprises 30 members, including: Austria, Belgium, Catalonia, Croatia, Cyprus, Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, and several organisations from the United Kingdom. Portugal and Luxembourg were the latest organisations to join in 2016 and SAFE is currently exploring the possibility of further growth with France, Ireland, Turkey and Slovakia joining, as well as helping to set up SSOs in several other countries.

Please contact Héloïse Levallois (heloise.levallois@ipsen.com) for further information.