Statsbudsjettet 2024

/in , , /by

Her er de viktigste sakene i statsbudsjettet 2024 for Oslo Cancer Clusters medlemmer.

Vi har sett nærmere på statsbudsjettet for neste år, og funnet disse lyspunktene for våre medlemmer.

Ekstra til tidligfase

En gründerpakke på 220 millioner kroner ligger ligger bakt inn i statsbudsjettet. 70 millioner av disse kronene skal gå til å styrke Innovasjon Norges ordninger for etablerere og vekstselskap. I tillegg foreslår regjeringen å sette av 150 millioner kroner til investeringer i tidligfasebedrifter gjennom Investinor. Dette er gode nyheter, mener Ketil Widerberg, daglig leder i Oslo Cancer Cluster.

– Offentlig støtte og såkornmidler er et viktig element i å utvikle ny norsk helsenæring, og satsingen er velkommen!

En liten justering og påminnelse er likevel på sin plass.

– Samtidig, med tanke på nye bioteknologiselskap innen kreft, trengs en kraftigere innsats om vi skal lykkes med å tiltrekke og utvikle ideene. Lange utviklingsløp krever betydelig risikoavlastende kapital i tidlig fase. For eksempel hentet nylig radiofarmasiselskapet ArtBio inn 250 millioner kroner bare på en første investeringsrunde, sier Ketil Widerberg.

Les mer om ArtBios første investeringsrunde i MedWatch.

Persontilpasset medisin

Et tilskudd på 110,9 millioner kroner foreslås videreført fra 2023 til persontilpasset medisin. Tilskuddet finansierer blant annet etablering og drift av nasjonalt genomsenter, infrastruktur for presisjonsdiagnostikk (InPred) og det nasjonale kompetansenettverket innenfor persontilpasset medisin (NorPreM). Ketil Widerberg mener at det er gledelig at persontilpasset medisin blir prioritert videre til neste år.

– Persontilpasset medisin er viktig for pasienter, som slipper mange bivirkning og får effektive medisiner. Det er også et område der vi i Norge er i forskningsfronten, har et innovativt samarbeid i det offentlig-private konsortiet CONNECT, og har lovende oppstartsfirmaer som Zelluna Immunotherapy og andre i vårt økosystem.

Les mer om CONNECT på konsortiets hjemmeside.

I en helhetlig satsing på persontilpasset medisin, er diagnostikk og spesielt gentester vesentlige ingredienser.

– Gentester burde satses på i større grad. 

Kartlegger helsekatapult

Tilskuddene til testfasiliteter for oppstartsbedrifter skal økes som et ledd i regjeringens politikk for en grønn omstilling av norsk næringsliv. Konkret vil det si 26 millioner kroner mer til testfasiliteter gjennom Sivas katapultordning i 2024.

Per i dag finnes fem sentre under katapultordningen. De dekker produksjonsteknologi, materialteknologi, digitalisering, hav og marin teknologi og fornybar energi. Det finnes ikke noe eget katapultsenter for helse, men helse var blant fire prioriterte områder i forprosjekter som ble gjennomført i 2019/2020 for ny utlysning av ordningen. I regjeringens veikart for helsenæringen, som ble lansert i august, ba regjeringen Siva, i samarbeid med Forskningsrådet og Innovasjon Norge, om å utrede hvordan helsenæringen i større grad kan få nytte av katapultordningen. Nå øremerkes to millioner statsbudsjettkroner til en slik kartlegging, som del av de nevnte 26 millionene til testfasiliteter. Ketil Widerberg er glad for det.

– Vi er glade for at helsekatapult blir prioritert, og ser frem til å jobbe med de andre helseklyngene for å realisere potensialet for at norsk forskning skal kunne bli til helsenæring og fremtidige industrieventyr.

Totalt får ordningene Norsk katapult og Grønn plattform 214,3 millioner kroner i 2024.

Regjeringens pressemelding kan leses her.

Helsenæring som eksport

Regjeringen foreslår å sette 94,7 millioner kroner inn på å fremme norsk eksport i 2024. Det er en økning på 45 millioner kroner, som et ledd i eksportreformen Hele Norge eksporterer, der helsenæring er ett av årets to nye satsingsområder, som blir lansert av regjeringen i løpet av høsten.

Budsjettpengene går først og fremst til Innovasjon Norges internasjonale satsinger, stiftelsen Norwegian Energy Partners (Norwep), arbeid med eksportprogrammet og profilering. De ulike eksportsatsingene presenteres som prosjekter i denne posten, og har ikke fått øremerkede midler.

Nasjonal kreftstrategi

Til neste år vil regjeringen presentere en oppdatert kreftstrategi, som også skal tre i kraft til neste år. Det følger ingen budsjettmidler med.

I den nye strategien skal ny kunnskap på kreftområdet ivaretas, samtidig som de fem overordnede målene videreføres fra nåværende strategi:

  • Norge skal bli et foregangsland for kreftforebygging
  • Norge skal bli et foregangsland for gode pasientforløp
  • En mer brukerorientert kreftomsorg
  • Flere skal overleve og leve lenger med kreft
  • Best mulig livskvalitet for kreftpasienter og pårørende

– Vi mener det er viktig å se på hvordan vi samarbeider for å nå målene, sier Ketil Widerberg.

Han understreker at ulike samarbeid må være en del av selve strategien.

– Vi har flere etablerte samarbeidsarenaer som vi må videreutvikle, som den norske mission huben, CONNECT-samarbeidet på presisjonsmedisin, og helseklyngesamarbeidet. Det er også rom for bedre samarbeid mellom norske og internasjonale institusjoner, mellom offentlige og private aktører, og på tvers av nasjonale siloer. Hvordan vi samarbeider må være en integrert del av en kreftstrategi – og en mulighet til å få til mer uten flere budsjettkroner, sier Ketil Widerberg.

Les mer om den norske mission huben på cancermission.no.

Ny helseteknologiordning

Helse- og omsorgstjenestene skal bli enklere og mer brukervennlige. Derfor foreslår regjeringen 150 millioner kroner til en ny helseteknologiordning, og 100 millioner kroner til utvikling av digital samhandling i helse- og omsorgssektoren. En helseteknologiordning skal gi kommunene drahjelp for å investere i og ta i bruk helseteknologi. Kommunene kan søke om tilskudd for å skaffe digitale løsninger og finne leverandører.

– For kreftpasienter betyr det mye hva slags teknologi som er tilgjengelig der de bor, for å få en effektiv oppfølging etter kreftsykdom. Vi ser derfor frem til at en satsing på helseteknologiordning vil kunne bidra til bedre oppfølging av pasientene.

Til grunn ligger en ramme på 1,25 milliarder kroner over seks år for å gjennomføre de nasjonale tiltakene for digital samhandling. Her gjelder det å bruke pengene smart, og etablere det vi mangler innen helseteknologi.

– For å gjøre bruk av ny teknologi i helse, mangler vi etablerte prosesser, budsjetter og samarbeid om helseteknologi, slik som vi har på legemidler. Spesielt blir dette tydelig for digitale løsninger, sier Ketil Widerberg.

Andre kreftrelaterte bevilgninger

  • Tarmkreftscreeningprogrammet fortsetter med videreførte 215,1 millioner kroner.
  • Hjemmetest i livmorhalsprogrammet får 26 millioner kroner i 2024.
  • Hudkreftstrategien og UV-nettverket får 2 millioner kroner ekstra, som blant annet skal gå til oppmerksomhetskampanjer.

 

Vite mer om statsbudsjettet 2024? Du finner alle budsjettdokumentene på regjeringen.no.

 

Personalised medicine to relieve the health service

/in , , /by

Smaller patient groups and targeted treatments are the future of cancer care in Norway.

It is no longer a question of if but when personalised medicine will be a reality for all cancer patients in Norway. This was a key message in a recent meeting arranged by the public-private consortium CONNECT during Arendalsuka, where the resource crisis in the health service was discussed.

Forward-looking health authorities

Ulrich Spreng, Chief Medical Officer of the South-Eastern Regional Health Authority (Helse Sør-Øst), underlined how critical personalised treatments will be in the future. Spreng sits in the Decision Forum of New Methods, the national system that manages the introduction of new treatments in Norway. The Decision Forum looks at three criteria; the severity of the disease, the effect of the treatment and the resources it requires.

“If you can target treatment better according to an individual patient’s genetic profile, there will be a greater effect. This makes it easier to implement that drug since it is a different relationship between resources and effect than when you treat a large patient group where many do not have an effect. It is important for us to separate a total patient group into subgroups according to their genetic profile. This is very exciting for New Methods!” Spreng commented.

Urgent lack of resources

The Norwegian health service faces a lack of resources and personnel, according to an investigation by the Health Personnel Commission in 2022. Gro Live Fagereng, Coordinator Precision Cancer Medicine at Oslo University Hospital, agreed this is a major challenge:

“We have limited time and finances in the health service, so we must prioritise the available resources. Both personalised medicine and research in general form the basis for making the best priorities. We need to invest in research to make the most of our resources. I hope and believe we will have a more systematic and learning health service in the future; that we will learn more from patients, so we can update treatments and make better priorities.”

Åsmund Flobak, oncologist at St. Olavs Hospital, explained how personalised medicine enables us to learn from patients:

“Traditionally, we have treated patients on a group level, but we know that patients are different; some respond and some do not. The goal is to find out which biomarkers relate to which treatments. We have worked to establish publicly financed precision diagnostics through InPreD and we give patients precision treatment through IMPRESS. A third of us will at some point get cancer, so we must implement better treatments.”

Watch this video (in Norwegian) to understand personalised medicine:

Health economists also agree that this strategy can help to save resources.

“When a patient gets the right treatment, you avoid giving a treatment that doesn’t work well enough first and there are fewer side effects. The consequence is less use of resources in the health service and we can live better lives,” commented Erik Magnus Sæther, Partner at Oslo Economics.

Public-private collaboration needed

Karoline Knutsen, Manager Market Access at Legemiddelindustrien (LMI), said that the vision for the future looks grim:

“The number of people of working age will decrease, while there will be more elderly in need of health services. We will see more chronically ill people with complex diseases. We believe new technologies and treatments are part of the solution, so more of us can keep working. The success of implementation of personalised medicine relies not just on financial investments, but also on contributions from many key players and stakeholders. Everyone must sit around the same table.”

CONNECT was set up to be that table, as a public-private consortium driving the implementation of precision cancer medicine in Norway. Since 2020, CONNECT has gathered 30 partners, including industry, patient organisations, university hospitals and several governmental institutions.

“We need to nurture this collaboration, develop it and use it in more areas,” commented Thomas Axelsen, Head of Politics at the Norwegian Cancer Society. “Personalised medicine in cancer needs to happen, no matter what. It is just about how fast we want it to happen. If we do it faster, we can save patients’ lives.”

Political ambitions

The government’s ambition is also high in this area, as seen in the Strategy for Personalised Medicine launched in January 2022.

“Personalised medicine should be an integrated part of the specialist health service. We need to develop the health service in a way that maximises value creation, both for the individual and for society as a whole,” said Truls Vasvik, State Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Care Services.

“Our doors are always open. We need to talk together about the development of competences, research and new price models; how we can get documentation of small patient groups and single treatments with uncertain long-term effects,” added Vasvik.

Arendalsuka: – We need to attract the big companies

/in , , /by

Norway needs more big companies to deliver on the Mission on Cancer.

The European Union has launched the Mission on Cancer with the goal to improve the lives of 3 million Europeans. In the recent meeting Fremtidens kreftbehandling during Arendalsuka, key experts and politicians gathered to discuss the implications of this for Norway. See the meeting here. See the meeting here. 

“With missions, we need to mobilise all resources in society towards a common goal. This is a new way to work and it challenges the established system. It is a historic investment from the EU; they are leaving no stone unturned in the fight against cancer,” said Astrid Bjerke, strategic adviser for the Norwegian Cancer Society.

A Norwegian Cancer Mission Hub has already been set up in Norway by several stakeholders, including Cancer Society, Oslo Cancer Cluster, The Research Council, The Norwegian Health Directorate, the Cancer Registry of Norway, and more.

“Norway is a part of the Mission on Cancer and this is important both for the ministry and from political leadership. EU has seen that we have to work together in the area of health. It is important that Norway is a part of this, because it also gives us possibilities.

“We have a great health service and fantastic health data, which we need to take better advantage of. We have a high degree of knowledge and fabulous research environments, as well as a population with a high degree of trust. Many positive things are happening, but we need to attract the big companies and their competence,” said Cathrine Lofthus, Secretary General of the Ministry of Health and Care Services.

Successful industry collaborations

Idar Kreutzer, director of The Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), gave several historic examples of how Norway has built industries based on public-private collaboration, such as water power and the oil industry.

“We were impressed when we saw the power of the development of vaccines during the pandemic, which was a real collaboration between authorities, researchers and industry – with impressive results! The health industry is already exporting for more than NOK 20 billion per year, but the potential is even larger and Norway has perfect conditions to grow a health industry,” said Kreutzer.

One example of a current collaboration between academia and industry is the Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park, which is expanding and has recently signed a lease agreement with the global company Thermo Fisher Scientific.

“We are doing many of the right things in Norway from basic research to patient treatment, but we need to look at the whole ecosystem. We built this ecosystem in miniature around the Radium Hospital, because this is where most of the cancer patients come through and most cancer research is done. It has been a difficult journey, but we have a very exciting pipeline with several up-and-coming companies and promising treatments,” said Jónas Einarsson, CEO of Radforsk Investment Fund and founder of Oslo Cancer Cluster.

Is there political will?

There seemed to be broad political consensus around the Cancer Mission among the politicians at the meeting.

“Missions and the EU’s work in this area is a part of our new cancer strategy and we have to collaborate on this, as well as collaborate with the EU. The mission concept is nothing new. It is first and foremost about achieving collaboration between the health service and the industry. Our cancer strategy will lay the basis for this: to gather all resources around a common goal,” said Even Røed, the Labour Party (Norway).

“We need to replace the income from oil and gas with new industries, which need to have large potentials. All Nordic countries have managed to make their health industries grow. Now we have the opportunity in Norway. The health service, academic milieus and industry are already gathering momentum, but there is a lack of political will. Norway has joined the Mission on Cancer, but how will it be implemented in Norway? There needs to be political will to build the health industry,” said Alfred Bjørlo, the Liberal Party (Norway).

“This is a really exciting method, to involve civil society, industry and academic milieus. I am most concerned about this being politically anchored. Will we see it when the new Cancer Strategy is presented? Will we see the Minister of Health together with the Minister of Industry and a representative from the European Union? Will we be connected to the Europen Union, or will this be a Norwegian hobby project, where we don’t take advantage of the big advantages we have?” asked Kristoffer Robin Haug, Green Party (Norway).

 

The meeting was organised by Oslo Cancer Cluster, the Norwegian Cancer Society, Legemiddelindustrien LMI, MSD Norway, Janssen Norway and AstraZeneca Norway. Thank you to our collaboration partners!

 

Three people in a discussion on a stage, sitting, one of which is Camilla Stoltenberg, who is engaged with her arm in a gesture.

Missions: a new way of doing politics

/in , , /by

How can Norway succeed with the EU’s Mission on Cancer?

“This challenges the Norwegian way of doing politics,” commented Espen Solberg, Head of Research at NIFU – Nordic institute for studies in Innovation, Research and Education, at the recent breakfast meeting Fremtidens kreftbehandling about the Mission on Cancer.

“Politicians need to be bold, set goals and create a plan. They need to ask: where are we in three, four or five years? We don’t do this very much in politics. Politicians usually work in different fields. A mission requires all fields to work together,” continued Solberg.

The state as entrepreneur

The European Commission has set the ambitious goal of improving the lives of 3 million Europeans affected by cancer by 2023. This is the Mission on Cancer, one of five missions the European Commission has identified. Missions are a new way to bring concrete solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time.

“This is a methodology that models a way to do public innovation, to solve problems that do not have a solution, and where you need to mobilise knowledge from different fields. All successful missions are characterised by concrete challenges to solve, for example technological, in a specific area. Cancer can obviously be one such mission,” commented Lars Peder Nordbakken, economist, Civita.

Both Nordbakken and Solberg agreed that the state needs to be the main driver and act as an active entrepreneur for a mission to be successful. All key players need to be involved and it is important to find the best competency in the area.

Should Norway find its niche?

Camilla Stoltenberg has led the Norwegian Institute of Public Health through the corona pandemic, a kind of mission in its own right.

“In my opinion, cancer treatment is too narrow. I think that if we are to succeed in Norway, prevention and promoting health are the most important things to do. We have better preconditions to assert ourselves internationally in these two areas and I believe we can do a fantastic job if we focus on them,” commented Stoltenberg.

Leif Rune Skymoen, CEO of the Norwegian Pharmaceutical Association, emphasised the value of focussing on cancer treatments and diagnostics.

“The industry will be an important contributor of competency, investments and tools in diagnostics and treatments to fight cancer. Cancer is a field where Norway has very good research environment and strong companies developing future cancer treatments and diagnostics. The Cancer Mission presents opportunities such as funding and new partnerships, which will be positive also for Norway,” commented Skymoen.

Where is the political vision?

With a new national cancer strategy underway, the question on everyone’s minds is: are the politicians indeed bold, with set goals and a clear plan? The politicians themselves think there is still a way to go.

“We are not good enough at connecting to these opportunities. The most important thing we do is to take advantage of what is happening on an EU level, both for research and industry. This challenges the way we do politics,” said Truls Vasvik, Arbeiderpartiet (Norwegian Labour Party).

“We need to discuss how Norway in the best way can get a strong connection to EU’s Mission on Cancer. The point of missions is to connect to the process, not just sit and wait for the results. It is not just about funding schemes, but a comprehensive investment. We need a more thorough discussion about how we as a society connect to this,” said Alfred Bjørlo, Venstre (Norwegian Liberal Party).

A national hub

Norway is already involved in the EU Mission on Cancer through different funding programmes, for example Horizon Europe and EU4Health, as well as through a national mission hub.

“The Missions methodology breaks down the sectorial approach and forces us to collaborate across health, research, education, and industry. It also contributes to faster implementation of research. It can also create public engagement and enthusiasm among the public,” said Ole Alexander Opdalshei, deputy secretary general, Norwegian Cancer Society.

“Together with Oslo Cancer Cluster, the Norwegian Research Council and other key players, we have put together a national hub so the developments on a European level also will benefit Norwegian cancer patients. We connect different milieus and create new constellations for collaboration,” continued Opdalshei.

Read more about the Norwegian Cancer Mission Hub

 

Fremtidens kreftbehandling is a political meeting series organised by Oslo Cancer Cluster, LMI – Legemiddelindustrien and Kreftforeningen, with support from AstraZeneca Norway, MSD Norway and Janssen Norway. Please save the date for our next meeting in Arendal on Tuesday, 15 August 2023, 08:00-09:00, at Clarion Hotel Tyholmen.