European Medicines Agency to move from London to Amsterdam

After a final round dead-heat vote by member states on Monday 20th November, following the drawing of lots, Amsterdam has been confirmed as the new home for the European Medicines Agency. On current plans, the EMA will be operating in Amsterdam from April 2019.

The EMA's Patients and Consumers Working Party annual meeting

Meantime the EMA's Patients and Consumers Working Party (PCWP) is holding its annual meeting with all EMA eligible patient/consumer consumer organisations to consider relocation preparedness, patient and consumer involvement in EMA activities, highlights from major EMA committees and updates on pharmacovigilance, information on medicines and future work programmes in 2018 and 2019 for the PCWP and the EMA's Healthcare Professionals Working Party.

The European Medicines Agency is concerned with regulation of medicines and other advanced therapies for humans and animals for 28 countries across the European Union.

The EMA has established mechanisms for involving patients in regulatory assessment: patients’ value perception and value systems. The EMA also has an increasing remit to engage with stakeholder organisations and to improve transparency in its activities for the ~510 million citizens of the European Union. Furthermore the EMA has a major role in educating patients, carers and health care professionals about medicines.  

There remain many decisions and actions for the coming months needed to ensure the smooth relocation of the EMA to Amsterdam and either to develop systems to retain UK expertise for the EMA or replace that expertise. For the EMA, these include:

• maximising staff retention
• maintaining capacity to continue the work of the EMA 
• continuing productive engagement with stakeholder groups: patients, carers, healthcare professionals ...
• maintaining the capacity of the EMA to engage with the public

For the UK, there are pressing questions regarding the future regulation of medicines in the UK post-Brexit, the impact of loss of international influence of UK regulators and other experts on medicines and the impact of loss of biotech and pharmaceutical companies from London to Amsterdam.

EACPT 2017 Updates from Vienna

Votive Church, Vienna

The EACPT Executive Committee is meeting in Vienna from 10th - 11th November to plan for future activities.

Key matters for discussion include

 

1. Future EACPT Congresses - the next is due to be held in 2019 in Stockholm as a partnership between the EACPT and the Swedish Society for Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. The Congress will address Tomorrow's Healthcare Challenges and will be held at the City Conference Centre - 5 minutes from Stockholm Central Station.

2. EACPT working groups on Education, Research, Young Professionals, and Regulation and Ethics.

3. Opportunities from links with international organisations such as the European Medicines Agency, IUPHAR, EPHAR and UEMS

4. Opportunities for Individual Associate Members including:

* discounted registration fees for EACPT meetings

* online access to the official EACPT Journal - Clinical Therapeutics 

* networking with colleagues worldwide through the global EACPT network of Associate Members 

* active involvement in EACPT Working Parties and other activities

Find out how to become an Associate Member of the EACPT 

Back row: Caroline Samer, Switzerland; Donald Singer, UK; Michiel van Agtmael, Netherlands; Ylva Böttiger, Sweden; Jamie Coleman, UK; Pierre Marquet, France; Emilio Clemente, Italy; Markus Zeitlinger, Austria.

Front row: Janne Backman, Finland; Jolanta Gulbinovič, Lithuania; Arantxa Sancho López, Spain; Achim Schmidtko, Germany.

The EACPT Executive Committee meets 6 monthly, with regular interim discussions by teleconference on key EACPT strategy and activities.

 Future EACPT Congresses will be held in: 

- 2019 Stockholm

- 2021 Athens

- 2023 Rotterdam

The EACPT was founded in 1993 - 24 years ago - and now includes as members all national organisations for clinical pharmacology in Europe, as well as organisations from further afield internationally. The EACPT aims to provide educational and scientific support for the more than 4000 individual professionals interested in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics throughout the European region, with its congresses attended by a global audience. The EACPT also advises policy makers on how the specialty can contribute to human health and wealth.

Clinical Therapeutics, the Official Journal of EACPT

The 2017 EACPT Scientific Award

The EACPT 2017 Congress was held in Prague from 24th-27th June with 566 participants from all 5 continents - 28% from beyond the European Region, from Australia to China, Japan and South Korea to the USA. The Congress included 22 sessions with Keynote Lectures on current issues for research, education and clinical practice on safe and effective use of medicines. Almost 500 oral and poster presentations will be presented by delegates from the European Region and around the world.

Prof. Simon, Prof Webb and Prof. Böttiger

The EACPT Scientific Award was presented to Professor David Webb, President of the British Pharmacological Society for his 2015 Lancet paper on PATHWAY 2.  This study
reported a significant improvement in blood pressure control in older, overweight patients with poorly controlled hypertension despite combination medical therapy when the mineralocorticoid antagonist spironolactone was added, treatment supported by directly observed therapy.

Future EACPT Congresses

- 2019 Stockholm
- 2021 Athens
- 2023 Rotterdam

The EACPT was founded in 1993 and now includes as members all national organisations for clinical pharmacology in Europe, as well as organisations from further afield internationally. The EACPT aims to provide educational and scientific support for the more than 4000 individual professionals interested in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics throughout the European region, with its congresses attended by a global audience. The EACPT also advises policy makers on how the specialty can contribute to human health and wealth.

Clinical Therapeutics, the Official Journal of EACPT.