Mariagrazia Felisi, Chair of the TEDDY Network and Clinical Projects Director at CVBF, delivered a presentation on the DEEP (DEferiprone Evaluation in Paediatrics) project during Session 3 “Examples of successful EU-funded paediatric projects” on Day One, of the EFGCP “Better Medicines for Children” Conference in Brussels.

The DEEP project represents a significant milestone in paediatric medicine development, having assembled a very extensive and comprehensive clinical data collection on oral iron chelator treatment in 708 paediatric patients to address an important unmet medical need at that time. This initiative has in fact achieved several crucial objectives:

The project has successfully increased confidence among clinicians in prescribing deferiprone even to very young patients affected by transfusion-dependent haemoglobinopathies

DEEP has fostered the creation of a worldwide partnership, involving 23 EU and non-EU Recruiting Sites, reinforcing the importance of robust European infrastructure in paediatric research.

“Thanks to the DEEP project, even patients in North Africa have gained access to treatments that were previously unavailable

This achievement aligns perfectly with the conference’s global perspective on improving children’s access to essential medicines.

The presentation was part of a comprehensive conference program that addressed critical topics in paediatric drug development, including mental health, neurologic disorders, and much more. The event continues to serve as a vital platform for stakeholders to discuss challenges and solutions in paediatric medicine development.