Economic dimension

Estimating the economic dimension of ongoing European research on OSAS is a difficult task. Research is typically conducted in small to medium-size patient samples, and has a low degree of visibility even at the National level. OSAS has been identified as a clinical syndrome only 25 to 30 years ago, and its consideration by Public Health services is still low compared to other diseases with similar prevalence and severity. Because OSAS treatment is not based on pharmacological measures, the funding contribution by the industry is much less compared to other diseases. Finally, some Member States (for example Greece, Austria, Portugal, Netherlands, Denmark, some Eastern Countries) have not been contacted yet and may be interested; this would increase the number of participants and the budget. Overall, by considering the current number of researchers involved and the amount of research funding at the National level, a total budget of 8 to 10 M ? over 4 years can be estimated.?