Brussels, 19/02/2014 (Agence Europe) - Over the next few months, the European Commission will define the rules which will make it possible to set in place European reference networks for rare diseases, designed to help professionals and national expert centres to share their knowledge. These networks will be connected to highly specialist centres in Europe, to share medical knowledge and allow patients suffering from rare diseases to receive the treatment they need, anywhere in Europe. This was announced by Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg at a conference on rare diseases held at the European Parliament on 17 February. An exhibition on rare diseases will also be held at the Parliament on 28 February, to mark International Rare Disease Day. Currently, 30 million Europeans suffer from a rare disease. The European Union has a role to play in developing research into rare diseases, by encouraging cooperation between experts, procuring financial support and supervising the placing on the market of new drugs, Commissioner Borg stressed. He pointed out that research into rare diseases is one of the priorities of the European health agenda, with €600 million invested between 2008 and 2013 in this specific research segment, under the seventh framework programme. To date, 80 medicines to treat rare diseases have received sales authorisation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), with a further 1000 medicines still at clinical trials stage, Borg stated. (IL/transl.fl)