PRESS RELEASE:
Cegedim Health Data sets up THIN® EuroBoard, its first European scientific review committee dedicated to healthcare research using real-world data
A committee of international experts, chaired by Professor Giampiero Mazzaglia, has been created to guarantee the relevant use of THIN® (The Health Improvement Network) anonymized real-world data for scientific research projects.
Paris and London, November 7, 2023
The THIN® European real-world database is one of Europe’s largest healthcare databases, with over 69 million anonymized electronic health records across several countries: the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Romania and soon Germany. These data are increasingly used as a basis for many scientific research projects, and are behind over 2,000 scientific publications aimed at improving the quality of healthcare in the interests of public health.
It is within this context that Cegedim Health Data has set up the THIN® EuroBoard, the first scientific review committee dedicated to the THIN® database’s healthcare research projects. It aims to assess whether THIN® data is used appropriately, relevantly and ethically in research projects likely to be published or widely shared. The committee has been active since October 2023.
Real-world data are increasingly used by researchers, the pharma industry and health authorities to supplement traditional clinical research. THIN® EuroBoard is made up of experts from the European countries covered by THIN® and was created to examine research projects before they are implemented and provide advice to researchers. The creation of the THIN® EuroBoard was inspired by the success of the THIN® Scientific Review Committee in the United Kingdom, which was set up four years ago.
To ensure the quality of research conducted using THIN® real-world data, each project is scientifically assessed by at least two experts who specialize in the topics it addresses and the countries it covers. They respond within an intentionally rapid deadline of 15 working days.
From January 1, 2024, it will be mandatory for all research projects intended for publication to be reviewed by the THIN® EuroBoard.
HIGHLY QUALIFIED EUROPEAN EXPERTS SUPPORTING REAL-WORLD EVIDENCE (RWE) STUDIES
On September 18, 2023, Professor Giampiero Mazzaglia, Professor of Public Health at the University of Milan-Bicocca, was appointed as first Chair of the THIN® EuroBoard. He will serve a two-year term. Dr. Charlotte Renaudat, Global Medical Director at Cegedim Health Data, is the Vice-Chair.
Pr. Mazzaglia, Chairman of THIN® EuroBoard declared:
“As Chair of THIN® EuroBoard, I am delighted to head up and coordinate the activities of a group of leading experts. Our task is to improve the quality of research projects based on THIN® data by ensuring that research protocols for disease and risk factor epidemiology, drug utilization studies and drug benefit-risk assessments are rigorous. Together, we promise to work for a future in which epidemiological research remains an essential aspect of public health.”
Dr. Renaudat, Vice-Chair of THIN® EuroBoard added:
“Today, we are very pleased to announce the creation of the first European scientific review committee dedicated to our anonymized real-world database, THIN®, in order to supervise and reinforce the way it is used. For our clients and researchers, being able to rely on the support of an entire scientific community is further proof of our robustness and trustworthiness.”
The THIN® EuroBoard committee’s work draws on two types of expertise. That of about ten independent experts, all of them internationally recognized for their expertise in pharmaco-epidemiology, methodology, biostatistics, health economics, various different medical specialties, health data science, mathematical modeling, etc., and that of experts in the THIN® database and RWE studies from Cegedim Group.
The THIN® Scientific Review Committee in the United Kingdom will continue to function independently when assessing research projects that concern its territory and will collaborate with the THIN® EuroBoard for multi-country projects that include the United Kingdom.
Laurent Labrune, CEO of Cegedim, commented:
“THIN®, a real-world, longitudinal, medical database derived from anonymized electronic health records, aims to foster and support medical progress. The creation of a European scientific review committee, the THIN® EuroBoard, will strengthen this positioning in the international scientific community and expand the use of real-world data for scientific and medical research.”
Contact for Press Enquiries: Lindsay Meredith, Cegedim Health Data UK Head of Marketing - lindsay.meredith@cegedimrx.co.uk
