The sixth and final c4c International Multi-Stakeholder Meeting (MSM) took place on 28–29 April 2025 in Heidelberg, Germany, ahead of the ESCAPE Network Meeting. Organised in collaboration with ERKNet, the European Rare Kidney Disease Reference Network, the meeting focused on the unmet needs and treatment development landscape for children and adolescents living with chronic kidney disease.
Held in a hybrid format, the event brought together 128 participants, including 50 online attendees, and marked a significant conclusion to the c4c MSM series. Stakeholders included patients, patient representatives, clinicians, academics, regulators from EMA and FDA, and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry.
The meeting was co-chaired by Professor Franz Schaefer, ERKNet Coordinator, and underscored the critical value of multi-stakeholder collaboration in shaping research and regulatory strategies that better address the needs of paediatric patients with rare diseases. Notable contributions from regulators, including Lynne Yao (FDA) and Gunter Eggert (EMA), highlighted the global commitment to accelerating innovation in this field.
Over the two days, participants engaged in meaningful discussions to outline a strategic pathway for improving the development and access to new therapies for paediatric chronic kidney disease. Outcomes of the meeting will be captured in a forthcoming publication, and ERKNet is committed to transforming the meeting’s conclusions into concrete actions.
This meeting concluded a successful series of c4c Multi-Stakeholder Meetings, which since inception have created an invaluable platform for collaborative dialogue in the development of medicines for children and young people. The model has proven essential in defining unmet needs and informing prioritisation processes – a foundation that will be critical as the revised EU pharmaceutical package takes shape.
c4c warmly thanks all contributors and partners involved in this impactful series.
