92002E3243

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3243/02

by Brice Hortefeux (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(15 November 2002)

Subject: Action to prevent osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a serious illness and is insidious in that it can go undetected for a long time. In Western women over the age of 50, the risk of an osteoporotic fracture is approximately 40 % and women are just as likely to die as a result of such fractures as from breast cancer. Furthermore, the increase in life expectancy will result in a growing number of hip fractures, which the WH0 estimates are likely to double from 414 000 to 912 000 in the EU over the next 50 years.

We are therefore confronted with a lasting public health problem. It is easy to imagine the financial burden that this disease could represent. As an example, the average cost of a fracture of the femur is estimated at EUR 11 000 for long-stay treatment.

In 1998, at the request of the European Parliament, the Commission carried a study and published a Report on osteoporosis in the EU Action for prevention. Three years later, the audit carried out by the International Osteoporosis Foundation reveals that little progress has been made by the Member States since the Commission's report, and the situation is now worse. Since 1998, the number of osteoporotic fractures in Europe has increased by 25 % and the cost of the disease has risen by 33 % to approximately EUR 4,8 billion every year in Europe.

Although the Commission cannot intervene directly in the health sphere because of the principle of subsidiarity, is it preparing other initiatives or programmes to prevent osteoporosis and if so, what might they cover?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(5 December 2002)

In 1998, the Commission published eight recommendations in the Report on Osteoporosis in the European Community Action for prevention.

Based on this report, the Commission is funding within the Work Programme 2002 a project to be performed by the IOF (International Osteoporosis Foundation) to analyse how the recommendations of this report have been acted upon in the Member States.

The aims of this project are to work with a consultation panel in order to move to the fulfilment of the eight recommendations and to publish a practical cost-effective plan outlining the next policy steps in this area. Additionally, the Commission intends to use the information generated by this project as the basis for a Report.