European Medicines Regulatory Network on Track to Meet Goals

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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Dec. 20, 2023 that the midterm report of the European Medicines Agencies Network Strategy (EMANS) shows that the pandemic strengthened the network, allowing it to be on track to meet its goals and objectives regarding drug availability; data management; innovation; antimicrobial resistance; supply chain challenges; and sustainability of the network. EMA and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) published the network strategy in December 2020 to guide the delivery of operational, regulatory, and scientific output and shared goals for a five-year period.

EMANS sets out how the network provides supply of safe and effective medicines by adapting to industry developments and emerging health threats, such as a pandemic. Six priority focus areas in line with the European Commission’s roadmap for a pharmaceutical strategy in Europe were outlined, and EMANS identifies goals and objectives for each area. The midterm report provides a look at achievements by EMANS from January 2021 to June 2023. The report also takes a look at the original goals and the actions proposed to deliver those goals. The conclusion of the report is that the original proposal is valid and relevant, and delivery of the remaining actions will be delivered.

“Despite the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the resource that has been deployed across the medicines regulatory network in response, a lot of progress has been made in the six priority focus areas of our network strategy,” says Emer Cooke, EMA’s executive director. “The end of the public health emergency and the lifting of the business continuity planning means we will once again be in a position to focus more fully on delivering patient-relevant medicines and digital transformation while continuing to deal with health threats and supply issues.”

Karl Broich, chair of the HMA Management Group, said: “The European medicines regulatory network, with its unique way of collaborating and pooling scientific and regulatory expertise across Europe, has just emerged from three long years of the COVID-19 health emergency. Difficult periods often serve to stress test systems and reveal facture lines and valuable learnings. From the network’s point of view, this experience has strengthened the desire to continue building together a better regulatory system and all the priorities envisioned as part of the EMANS.”

Source: EMA