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Commentary on the European Medicines Agency's extended mandate - Protecting public health in times of crisis and improving availability of medicines and medical devices
  • +3
  • Inga Abed,
  • Rosa Gonzalez-Quevedo,
  • Manuela Mura,
  • Monica Dias,
  • Silvy Da Rocha Dias,
  • Juan (EMA PAPERS ONLY) Garcia Burgos
Inga Abed
European Medicines Agency

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Rosa Gonzalez-Quevedo
European Medicines Agency
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Manuela Mura
European Medicines Agency
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Monica Dias
European Medicines Agency
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Silvy Da Rocha Dias
European Medicines Agency
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Juan (EMA PAPERS ONLY) Garcia Burgos
European Medical Agency
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Abstract

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) started operating under its new legal mandate on 1 April 2022. The mandate brings new responsibilities to the Agency in three different areas: • Reinforcement of the role and activities of the EMA pandemic Task Force(which is now known as the Emergency Task Force (ETF)). • A stronger role of EMA in the monitoring of shortages of critical medicines, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, both in anticipation of and during a crisis. • A more coordinated mechanism of European Union (EU) experts advice on medical devices classified as high-risk (class IIa and III or class D (1)) and in-vitro diagnostic medical devices. Here we consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operations of EMA and the European medicines regulatory network, and how EMA’s new mandate will strengthen the Agency’s and the Network’s ability to face crises. EMA’s extended mandate brings clear benefits in terms of response to public health emergencies at EU level, which ranges from improvements in crisis management to avoiding medicine shortages and improving access to diagnostics and medical devices that are safe and conform to their expected function.
06 Sep 2022Submitted to British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology
15 Sep 2022Submission Checks Completed
15 Sep 2022Assigned to Editor
05 Oct 2022Editorial Decision: Accept
Jan 2023Published in British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology volume 89 issue 1 on pages 5-10. 10.1111/bcp.15567