On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, a highly successful meeting was held between the Minister of Health, Mr. Adonis Georgiadis, and a distinguished group of academics and researchers. Also, the Deputy Minister of Development, Ms. Zoe Rapti, who is responsible for research and innovation, was present at the meeting. The General Secretary of Strategic Planning of the Ministry of Health, Mr. Aris Angelis, also participated online.

In addition to the academics and researchers present in person, the meeting also included online participation from the Professor of Infectious Diseases at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Mr. Sotiris Tsiodras, and the prominent Greek-Australian Professor of Immunology, Ms. Vasso Apostolopoulou, from Victoria University in Australia. The initiative for the meeting was taken by the distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Mr. Ioannis Matsoukas, who is an Honorary Professor at the Universities of Calgary in Canada and Victoria in Australia.

During the meeting, the research team presented a proposal to the Minister and the executive team for the development of a National Strategic Plan for pandemic response, based on the pharmaceutical innovations recently produced in Greece by Greek researchers. The aim of the proposal is to leverage these innovations for the development of a new generation of antiviral products (pan-antiviral drugs) to address potential pandemics caused by virus cocktails, which pose a significant challenge and threat to humanity.

The Drug Discovery Consortium, Hellas research team consists of distinguished members of the academic community from the Medical Schools of the Universities of Athens, Patras, Ioannina, Thessaly, and Democritus, as well as from research centers such as Pasteur, Demokritos, and the National Research Foundation. The team has focused its research interests and, through collaboration with leading laboratories abroad (Australia, USA, Canada), has developed organic active compounds with antiviral properties. These compounds, in experimental models, simultaneously target virus cocktails.

The development of pan-antiviral drugs represents the next strategic goal for Public Health. The research by Greek scientists leads the way in antiviral compounds against virus cocktails, with the results of the research team published in reputable biomedical journals.

Mr. Georgiadis congratulated the research team on their pioneering work. The team thanked the Minister of Health and the Deputy Minister of Development, Ms. Zoe Rapti, for their interest in utilizing advanced pharmaceutical technology against pandemics.

Also, the Strategic Planning Consultant DDHC, Catherine Patroklou Skorda, and the communications officers, Vassilios Nicolaos Vitsilogiannis (international journalist) and Sylvia Ralli (founder of www.medathens.gr), participated in organizing and promoting the meeting.

Images by Thanos Georgiou.