The board endorsed the new EMA policy on handling of conflicts of interests, introducing a more efficient, robust and transparent process ensuring that scientific committee members and experts participating in the Agency’s activities have no interests in the pharmaceutical industry which could affect their impartiality.
Involvement in the Agency’s activities means all activities carried out at the Agency in the context of the authorisation and surveillance of medicines for human and veterinary use. This includes meeting attendance, involvement in the scientific assessment and guidance development, as well as participation in inspections.
The new policy addresses experience with the handling of conflicts of interests gained since the establishment of the Agency in 1995 and the initial policy set up in 2004. It also answers demands for the Agency to strengthen its handling of conflicts of interests, whilst ensuring that the best scientific expertise is involved in the assessment process.
Source: European Medicines Agency