1. A Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use is hereby established. The Committee shall be part of the Agency.
2. Without prejudice to Article 56 or to other tasks which Community law may confer on it, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use shall be responsible for drawing up the opinion of the Agency on any matter concerning the admissibility of the files submitted in accordance with the centralised procedure, the granting, variation, suspension or revocation of an authorisation to place a medicinal product for human use on the market in accordance with the provisions of this Title, and pharmacovigilance.
3. At the request of the Executive Director of the Agency or the Commission representative, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use shall also draw up an opinion on any scientific matter concerning the evaluation of medicinal products for human use. The Committee shall take due account of any requests by Member States for an opinion. The Committee shall also formulate an opinion whenever there is disagreement in the evaluation of medicinal products through the mutual recognition procedure. The opinion of the Committee shall be made publicly accessible.
1. Each application for the authorisation of a medicinal product for human use shall specifically and completely include the particulars and documents as referred to in Articles 8(3), 10, 10a, 10b or 11 of, and Annex I to, Directive 2001/83/EC. The documents must include a statement to the effect that clinical trials carried out outside the European Union meet the ethical requirements of Directive 2001/20/EC. These particulars and documents shall take account of the unique, Community nature of the authorisation requested and, otherwise than in exceptional cases relating to the application of the law on trade marks, shall include the use of a single name for the medicinal product.
The application shall be accompanied by the fee payable to the Agency for the examination of the application.
2. In the case of a medicinal product for human use containing or consisting of genetically modified organisms within the meaning of Article 2 of Directive 2001/18/EC, the application shall be accompanied by:
(a) a copy of the competent authorities' written consent to the deliberate release into the environment of the genetically modified organisms for research and development purposes where provided for in Part B of Directive 2001/18/EC or in Part B of Council Directive 90/220/EEC of 23 April 1990 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms(16);
(b) the complete technical dossier supplying the information required by Annexes III and IV to Directive 2001/18/EC;
(c) the environmental risk assessment in accordance with the principles set out in Annex II to Directive 2001/18/EC; and
(d) the results of any investigations performed for the purposes of research or development.
Articles 13 to 24 of Directive 2001/18/EC shall not apply to medicinal products for human use containing or consisting of genetically modified organisms.
3. The Agency shall ensure that the opinion of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use is given within 210 days after receipt of a valid application.
The duration of the analysis of the scientific data in the file concerning the application for marketing authorisation must be at least 80 days, except in cases where the rapporteur and co-rapporteur declare that they have completed their assessment before that time.
On the basis of a duly reasoned request, the said Committee may call for the duration of the analysis of the scientific data in the file concerning the application for marketing authorisation to be extended.
In the case of a medicinal product for human use containing or consisting of genetically modified organisms, the opinion of the said Committee shall respect the environmental safety requirements laid down by Directive 2001/18/EC. During the process of evaluating applications for marketing authorisations for medicinal products for human use containing or consisting of genetically modified organisms, the rapporteur shall carry out necessary consultations of bodies that the Community or Member States have set up in accordance with Directive 2001/18/EC.
4. The Commission shall, in consultation with the Agency, Member States and interested parties, draw up a detailed guide regarding the form in which applications for authorisation are to be presented.
In order to prepare its opinion, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use:
(a) shall verify that the particulars and documents submitted in accordance with Article 6 comply with the requirements of Directive 2001/83/EC, and shall examine whether the conditions specified in this Regulation for granting a marketing authorisation are satisfied;
(b) may request that an Official Medicines Control Laboratory or a laboratory that a Member State has designated for that purpose test the medicinal product for human use, its starting materials and, if need be, its intermediate products or other constituent materials in order to ensure that the control methods employed by the manufacturer and described in the application documents are satisfactory;
(c) may request that the applicant supplement the particulars accompanying the application within a specific time period. Where the said Committee avails itself of this option, the time-limit laid down in Article 6(3), first subparagraph, shall be suspended until such time as the supplementary information requested has been provided. Likewise, this time-limit shall be suspended for the time allowed for the applicant to prepare oral or written explanations.
1. Upon receipt of a written request from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, a Member State shall forward the information showing that the manufacturer of a medicinal product or the importer from a third country is able to manufacture the medicinal product concerned and/or carry out the necessary control tests in accordance with the particulars and documents supplied pursuant to Article 6.
2. Where it considers it necessary in order to complete its examination of an application, the said Committee may require the applicant to undergo a specific inspection of the manufacturing site of the medicinal product concerned. Such inspections may be made unannounced.
The inspection shall be carried out within the time-limit laid down in the first subparagraph of Article 6(3) by inspectors from the Member State holding the appropriate qualifications; they may be accompanied by a rapporteur or an expert appointed by the Committee.
1. The Agency shall forthwith inform the applicant if the opinion of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use is that:
(a) the application does not satisfy the criteria for authorisation set out in this Regulation;
(b) the summary of the product characteristics proposed by the applicant needs to be amended;
(c) the labelling or package leaflet of the product is not in compliance with Title V of Directive 2001/83/EC;
(d) the authorisation needs to be granted subject to the conditions provided for in Article 14(7) and (8).
2. Within 15 days after receipt of the opinion referred to in paragraph 1, the applicant may give written notice to the Agency that he wishes to request a re-examination of the opinion. In that case, the applicant shall forward to the Agency the detailed grounds for the request within 60 days after receipt of the opinion.
Within 60 days following receipt of the grounds for the request, the said Committee shall re-examine its opinion in accordance with the conditions laid down in the fourth subparagraph of Article 62(1). The reasons for the conclusion reached shall be annexed to the final opinion.
3. Within 15 days after its adoption, the Agency shall send the final opinion of the said Committee to the Commission, to the Member States and to the applicant, together with a report describing the assessment of the medicinal product by the Committee and stating the reasons for its conclusions.
4. If an opinion is favourable to the granting of the relevant authorisation to place the medicinal product concerned on the market, the following documents shall be annexed to the opinion:
(a) a draft summary of the product characteristics, as referred to in Article 11 of Directive 2001/83/EC;
(b) details of any conditions or restrictions which should be imposed on the supply or use of the medicinal product concerned, including the conditions under which the medicinal product may be made available to patients, in accordance with the criteria laid down in Title VI of Directive 2001/83/EC;
(c) details of any recommended conditions or restrictions with regard to the safe and effective use of the medicinal product;
(d) the draft text of the labelling and package leaflet proposed by the applicant, presented in accordance with Title V of Directive 2001/83/EC;
(e) the assessment report.
1. Within 15 days after receipt of the opinion referred to in Article 5(2), the Commission shall prepare a draft of the decision to be taken in respect of the application.
Where a draft decision envisages the granting of a marketing authorisation, it shall include or make reference to the documents mentioned in Article 9(4)(a), (b), (c) and (d).
Where the draft decision is not in accordance with the opinion of the Agency, the Commission shall annex a detailed explanation of the reasons for the differences.
The draft decision shall be forwarded to Member States and the applicant.
2. The Commission shall take a final decision in accordance with, and within 15 days after the end of, the procedure referred to in Article 87(3).
3. The Standing Committee on Medicinal Products for Human Use referred to in Article 87(1) shall adjust its rules of procedure so as to take account of the tasks incumbent upon it under this Regulation.
The adjustments shall provide that:
(a) the opinion of the said Standing Committee is to be given in writing;
(b) Member States shall have 22 days to forward their written observations on the draft decision to the Commission. However, if a decision has to be taken urgently, a shorter time-limit may be set by the Chairman according to the degree of urgency involved. This time-limit shall not, otherwise than in exceptional circumstances, be shorter than 5 days;
(c) Member States may request in writing that the draft decision referred to in paragraph 1 be discussed by a plenary meeting of the said Standing Committee, stating their reasons in detail.
4. Where, in the opinion of the Commission, a Member State's written observations raise important new questions of a scientific or technical nature which the opinion delivered by the Agency has not addressed, the Chairman shall suspend the procedure and refer the application back to the Agency for further consideration.
5. The Commission shall adopt the provisions necessary for the implementation of paragraph 4 in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 87(2).
6. The Agency shall disseminate the documents referred to in Article 9(4)(a), (b), (c) and (d).
If an applicant withdraws an application for a marketing authorisation submitted to the Agency before an opinion has been given on the application, the applicant shall communicate its reasons for doing so to the Agency. The Agency shall make this information publicly accessible and shall publish the assessment report, if available, after deletion of all information of a commercially confidential nature.
1. The marketing authorisation shall be refused if, after verification of the particulars and documents submitted in accordance with Article 6, it appears that the applicant has not properly or sufficiently demonstrated the quality, safety or efficacy of the medicinal product.
Authorisation shall likewise be refused if particulars or documents provided by the applicant in accordance with Article 6 are incorrect or if the labelling and package leaflet proposed by the applicant are not in accordance with Title V of Directive 2001/83/EC.
2. The refusal of a Community marketing authorisation shall constitute a prohibition on the placing on the market of the medicinal product concerned throughout the Community.
3. Information about all refusals and the reasons for them shall be made publicly accessible.
1. Without prejudice to Article 4(4) of Directive 2001/83/EC, a marketing authorisation which has been granted in accordance with this Regulation shall be valid throughout the Community. It shall confer the same rights and obligations in each of the Member States as a marketing authorisation granted by that Member State in accordance with Article 6 of Directive 2001/83/EC.
Authorised medicinal products for human use shall be entered in the Community Register of Medicinal Products and shall be given a number, which shall appear on the packaging.
2. Notification of marketing authorisation shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, quoting in particular the date of authorisation and the registration number in the Community Register, any International Non-proprietary Name (INN) of the active substance of the medicinal product, its pharmaceutical form, and any Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Code (ATC).
3. The Agency shall immediately publish the assessment report on the medicinal product for human use drawn up by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use and the reasons for its opinion in favour of granting authorisation, after deletion of any information of a commercially confidential nature.
The European Public Assessment Report (EPAR) shall include a summary written in a manner that is understandable to the public. The summary shall contain in particular a section relating to the conditions of use of the medicinal product.
4. After a marketing authorisation has been granted, the holder of the authorisation shall inform the Agency of the dates of actual marketing of the medicinal product for human use in the Member States, taking into account the various presentations authorised.
The holder shall also notify the Agency if the product ceases to be placed on the market, either temporarily or permanently. Such notification shall, otherwise than in exceptional circumstances, be made no less than 2 months before the interruption in the placing on the market of the product.
Upon request by the Agency, particularly in the context of pharmacovigilance, the marketing authorisation holder shall provide the Agency with all data relating to the volume of sales of the medicinal product at Community level, broken down by Member State, and any data in the holder's possession relating to the volume of prescriptions.
1. Without prejudice to paragraphs 4, 5 and 7 a marketing authorisation shall be valid for five years.
2. The marketing authorisation may be renewed after five years on the basis of a re-evaluation by the Agency of the risk-benefit balance.
To this end, the marketing authorisation holder shall provide the Agency with a consolidated version of the file in respect of quality, safety and efficacy, including all variations introduced since the marketing authorisation was granted, at least six months before the marketing authorisation ceases to be valid in accordance with paragraph 1.
3. Once renewed, the marketing authorisation shall be valid for an unlimited period, unless the Commission decides, on justified grounds relating to pharmacovigilance, to proceed with one additional five-year renewal in accordance with paragraph 2.
4. Any authorisation which is not followed by the actual placing of the medicinal product for human use on the Community market within three years after authorisation shall cease to be valid.
5. When an authorised medicinal product previously placed on the market is no longer actually present on the market for three consecutive years, the authorisation shall cease to be valid.
6. In exceptional circumstances and on public health grounds the Commission may grant exemptions from paragraphs 4 and 5. Such exemptions must be duly justified.
7. Following consultation with the applicant, an authorisation may be granted subject to certain specific obligations, to be reviewed annually by the Agency. The list of these obligations shall be made publicly accessible.
By way of derogation from paragraph 1, such authorisation shall be valid for one year, on a renewable basis.
The provisions for granting such authorisation shall be laid down in a Commission Regulation adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 87(2).
8. In exceptional circumstances and following consultation with the applicant, the authorisation may be granted subject to a requirement for the applicant to introduce specific procedures, in particular concerning the safety of the medicinal product, notification to the competent authorities of any incident relating to its use, and action to be taken. This authorisation may be granted only for objective, verifiable reasons and must be based on one of the grounds set out in Annex I to Directive 2001/83/EC. Continuation of the authorisation shall be linked to the annual reassessment of these conditions.
9. When an application is submitted for a marketing authorisation in respect of medicinal products for human use which are of major interest from the point of view of public health and in particular from the viewpoint of therapeutic innovation, the applicant may request an accelerated assessment procedure. The request shall be duly substantiated.
If the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use accepts the request, the time-limit laid down in Article 6(3), first subparagraph, shall be reduced to 150 days.
10. When adopting its opinion, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use shall include a proposal concerning the criteria for the prescription or use of the medicinal products in accordance with Article 70(1) of Directive 2001/83/EC.
11. Without prejudice to the law on the protection of industrial and commercial property, medicinal products for human use which have been authorised in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation shall benefit from an eight-year period of data protection and a ten-year period of marketing protection, in which connection the latter period shall be extended to a maximum of 11 years if, during the first eight years of those ten years, the marketing authorisation holder obtains an authorisation for one or more new therapeutic indications which, during the scientific evaluation prior to their authorisation, are held to bring a significant clinical benefit in comparison with existing therapies.
The granting of authorisation shall not affect the civil or criminal liability of the manufacturer or of the holder of the marketing authorisation pursuant to the applicable national law in Member States.
Chapter 2
Supervision and penalties
1. After an authorisation has been granted in accordance with this Regulation, the holder of the marketing authorisation for a medicinal product for human use shall, in respect of the methods of manufacture and control provided for in Article 8(3)(d) and (h) of Directive 2001/83/EC, take account of technical and scientific progress and make any variations that may be required to enable the medicinal products to be manufactured and checked by means of generally accepted scientific methods. He shall apply for approval of such variations in accordance with this Regulation.
2. The holder of the marketing authorisation shall forthwith supply to the Agency, to the Commission and to the Member States any new information which might entail the variation of the particulars or documents referred to in Articles 8(3), 10, 10a, 10b and 11 of Directive 2001/83/EC, in Annex I thereto, or in Article 9(4) of this Regulation.
In particular, he shall forthwith inform the Agency, the Commission and the Member States of any prohibition or restriction imposed by the competent authorities of any country in which the medicinal product for human use is marketed and of any other new information which might influence the evaluation of the benefits and risks of the medicinal product for human use concerned.
In order that the risk-benefit balance may be continuously assessed, the Agency may at any time ask the holder of the marketing authorisation to forward data demonstrating that the risk-benefit balance remains favourable.
3. If the holder of the authorisation for a medicinal product for human use proposes to make any variation of the particulars and documents referred to in paragraph 2, he shall submit the relevant application to the Agency.
4. The Commission shall, after consulting the Agency, adopt appropriate provisions for the examination of variations to marketing authorisations in the form of a regulation in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 87(2).
The applicant or the holder of a marketing authorisation shall be responsible for the accuracy of the documents and of the data submitted.
1. In the case of medicinal products for human use manufactured within the Community, the supervisory authorities shall be the competent authorities of the Member State or Member States which granted the manufacturing authorisation provided for in Article 40(1) of Directive 2001/83/EC in respect of the medicinal product concerned.
2. In the case of medicinal products imported from third countries, the supervisory authorities shall be the competent authorities of the Member State or Member States that granted the authorisation provided for in Article 40(3) of Directive 2001/83/EC to the importer, unless appropriate agreements have been made between the Community and the exporting country to ensure that those controls are carried out in the exporting country and that the manufacturer applies standards of good manufacturing practice at least equivalent to those laid down by the Community.
A Member State may request assistance from another Member State or from the Agency.
1. The supervisory authorities shall be responsible for verifying on behalf of the Community that the holder of the marketing authorisation for the medicinal product for human use or the manufacturer or importer established within the Community satisfies the requirements laid down in Titles IV, IX and XI of Directive 2001/83/EC.
2. Where, in accordance with Article 122 of Directive 2001/83/EC, the Commission is informed of serious differences of opinion between Member States as to whether the holder of the marketing authorisation for the medicinal product for human use or a manufacturer or importer established within the Community satisfies the requirements referred to in paragraph 1, the Commission may, after consultation with the Member States concerned, request an inspector from the supervisory authority to undertake a new inspection of the marketing authorisation holder, the manufacturer or the importer; the inspector in question shall be accompanied by two inspectors from Member States which are not party to the dispute or by two experts nominated by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use.
3. Subject to any agreements which may have been concluded between the Community and third countries in accordance with Article 18(2), the Commission may, following a reasoned request from a Member State or from the said Committee, or on its own initiative, require a manufacturer established in a third country to submit to an inspection.
The inspection shall be undertaken by inspectors from the Member States who possess the appropriate qualifications; they may be accompanied by a rapporteur or expert appointed by the said Committee. The report of the inspectors shall be made available to the Commission, the Member States and the said Committee.
1. Where the supervisory authorities or the competent authorities of any other Member State are of the opinion that the manufacturer or importer established within the Community territory is no longer fulfilling the obligations laid down in Title IV of Directive 2001/83/EC, they shall forthwith inform the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use and the Commission, stating their reasons in detail and indicating the course of action proposed.
The same shall apply where a Member State or the Commission considers that one of the measures envisaged in Titles IX and XI of Directive 2001/83/EC should be applied in respect of the medicinal product concerned or where the said Committee has delivered an opinion to that effect in accordance with Article 5 of this Regulation.
2. The Commission shall request the opinion of the Agency within a time-limit which it shall determine in the light of the urgency of the matter, in order to examine the reasons advanced. Whenever practicable, the holder of the authorisation for placing the medicinal product for human use on the market shall be invited to provide oral or written explanations.
3. Following an opinion by the Agency, the Commission shall adopt the necessary provisional measures, which shall be applied immediately.
A final decision shall be adopted within six months, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 87(3).
4. Where urgent action is essential to protect human health or the environment, a Member State may, on its own initiative or at the Commission's request, suspend the use in its territory of a medicinal product for human use which has been authorised in accordance with this Regulation.
When it does so on its own initiative, it shall inform the Commission and the Agency of the reasons for its action at the latest on the next working day following the suspension. The Agency shall inform the other Member States without delay. The Commission shall immediately initiate the procedure provided for in paragraphs 2 and 3.
5. In this case, the Member State shall ensure that health-care professionals are rapidly informed of its action and the reasons for the action. Networks set up by professional associations may be used to this effect. The Member States shall inform the Commission and the Agency of actions taken for this purpose.
6. The suspensive measures referred to in paragraph 4 may be maintained in force until such time as a definitive decision has been reached in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 87(3).
7. The Agency shall, upon request, inform any person concerned of the final decision and make the decision publicly accessible immediately after it has been taken.
Chapter 3
Pharmacovigilance
For the purposes of this Chapter, Article 106(2) of Directive 2001/83/EC shall apply.
The Agency, acting in close cooperation with the national pharmacovigilance systems established in accordance with Article 102 of Directive 2001/83/EC, shall receive all relevant information concerning suspected adverse reactions to medicinal products for human use which have been authorised by the Community in accordance with this Regulation. Where appropriate, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use shall, in accordance with Article 5 of this Regulation, draw up opinions on the measures necessary. These opinions shall be made publicly accessible.
The measures referred to in the first paragraph may include amendments to the marketing authorisation granted in accordance with Article 10. They shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 87(3).
The holder of the marketing authorisation and the competent authorities of Member States shall ensure that all relevant information concerning suspected adverse reactions to the medicinal products authorised under this Regulation are brought to the attention of the Agency in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation. Patients shall be encouraged to communicate any adverse reaction to health-care professionals.
The holder of an authorisation for a medicinal product for human use granted in accordance with the provisions of this Regulation shall have permanently and continuously at his disposal an appropriately qualified person responsible for pharmacovigilance.
That qualified person shall reside in the Community and shall be responsible for the following:
(a) establishing and managing a system which ensures that information concerning all suspected adverse reactions which are reported to the personnel of the company and to medical representatives is collected, evaluated and collated so that it may be accessed at a single point within the Community;
(b) preparing the reports referred to in Article 24(3) for the competent authorities of the Member States and the Agency in accordance with the requirements of this Regulation;
(c) ensuring that any request from the competent authorities for the provision of additional information necessary for the evaluation of the risks and benefits of a medicinal product is answered fully and promptly, including the provision of information regarding the volume of sales or prescriptions for the medicinal product concerned;
(d) providing the competent authorities with any other information relevant to the evaluation of the risks and benefits of a medicinal product, particularly information concerning post-authorisation safety studies.
1. The holder of the marketing authorisation for a medicinal product for human use shall ensure that all suspected serious adverse reactions to a medicinal product authorised in accordance with this Regulation occurring within the Community which a health-care professional brings to his attention are recorded and reported promptly to Member States within the territory of which the incident occurred, and no later than 15 days following the receipt of the information.
The holder of the marketing authorisation shall record any other suspected serious adverse reactions occurring within the Community, in accordance with the guide referred to in Article 26, of which he may reasonably be expected to be aware, and promptly notify the competent authority of Member States in the territory of which the incident occurred and the Agency, and no later than 15 days following receipt of the information.
2. The holder of the marketing authorisation for a medicinal product for human use shall ensure that all suspected serious unexpected adverse reactions and any suspected transmission via a medicinal product of any infectious agent occurring in the territory of a third country are reported promptly to Member States and the Agency, and no later than 15 days following receipt of the information. The provisions for the reporting of suspected unexpected adverse reactions which are not serious, whether occurring in the Community or in a third country, shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 87(2).
Save in exceptional circumstances, these reactions shall be transmitted electronically in the form of a report and in accordance with the guide referred to in Article 26.
3. The holder of the marketing authorisation for a medicinal product for human use shall maintain detailed records of all suspected adverse reactions within or outside the Community which are reported to him by a health-care professional.
Unless other requirements have been laid down as a condition for the granting of the marketing authorisation by the Community, these records shall be submitted, in the form of a periodic safety update report, to the Agency and Member States immediately upon request or at least every six months after authorisation until the placing on the market. Periodic safety update reports shall also be submitted immediately upon request or at least every six months during the first two years following the initial placing on the Community market and once a year for the following two years. Thereafter, the reports shall be submitted at three-yearly intervals, or immediately upon request.
These reports shall be accompanied by a scientific evaluation, particularly of the risk-benefit balance of the medicinal product.
4. The Commission may lay down provisions to amend paragraph 3 in view of experience gained with its operation. The Commission shall adopt any such provisions in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 87(2).
5. The holder of a marketing authorisation may not communicate information relating to pharmacovigilance concerns to the general public in relation to its authorised medicinal product without giving prior or simultaneous notification to the Agency.
In any case, the marketing authorisation holder shall ensure that such information is presented objectively and is not misleading.
Member States shall take the necessary measures to ensure that a marketing authorisation holder who fails to discharge these obligations is subject to effective, proportionate and dissuasive penalties.
Each Member State shall ensure that all suspected serious adverse reactions occurring within their territory to a medicinal product for human use authorised in accordance with this Regulation which are brought to their attention are recorded and reported promptly to the Agency and the marketing authorisation holder, and no later than 15 days following receipt of the information.
The Agency shall forward the information to the national pharmacovigilance systems set up in accordance with Article 102 of Directive 2001/83/EC.
The Commission, in consultation with the Agency, Member States and interested parties, shall draw up a guide on the collection, verification and presentation of adverse-reaction reports. This guide shall contain, in particular, for the benefit of health-care professionals, recommendations concerning the communication of information on adverse reactions.
In accordance with this guide, holders of marketing authorisations shall use the medical terminology accepted at international level for the transmission of adverse-reaction reports.
The Agency, in consultation with Member States and the Commission, shall set up a data-processing network for the rapid transmission of information to the competent Community authorities in the event of an alert relating to faulty manufacture, serious adverse reactions and other pharmacovigilance data regarding medicinal products authorised in accordance with Article 6 of Directive 2001/83/EC. Such data shall be made publicly accessible, if relevant, after evaluation.
For a period of five years following the initial placing on the market in the Community, the Agency may request that the marketing authorisation holder arrange for specific pharmacovigilance data to be collected from targeted groups of patients. The Agency shall state the reasons for the request. The marketing authorisation holder shall collate and assess the data collected and submit it to the Agency for evaluation.
The Agency shall collaborate with the World Health Organisation in matters of international pharmacovigilance and shall take the necessary steps to submit to it, promptly, appropriate and adequate information regarding the measures taken in the Community which may have a bearing on public health protection in third countries; it shall send a copy thereof to the Commission and the Member States.
The Agency and Member States' competent authorities shall cooperate to continuously develop pharmacovigilance systems capable of achieving high standards of public health protection for all medicinal products, regardless of routes of authorisation, including the use of collaborative approaches, to maximise use of resources available within the Community.
Any amendment which may be necessary to update the provisions of this Chapter in order to take account of scientific and technical progress shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 87(2).
TITLE III
AUTHORISATION AND SUPERVISION OF VETERINARY MEDICINAL PRODUCTS
Chapter 1
Submission and examination of applications - Authorisations
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
