The spread of Omicron coronavirus creates the need to ensure that new vaccines are effective against variants as well, said Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakidou, speaking on Thursday to staff of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) at the agency's headquarters in Amsterdam.
Earlier in the visit, Commissioner Kyriakidou had a meeting with EMA Executive Director Emer Cook and toured the Agency's buildings. Kyriakidou underlined that the EMA had been "instrumental in speeding up the approval of vaccines and treatments, while maintaining high standards of safety and quality", which resulted in a significant degree of public confidence in the EU regulatory system. "This in itself is a great achievement."
"We rely on your continued efforts to authorise any new medicines and vaccines that can help to tackle this pandemic as quickly as possible so that they can reach patients without delay," he noted.
"With the spread of the Omicron variant, we need to ensure that vaccines are effective against new variants," Commissioner Kyriakidou noted, stressing that "once again we will rely on your independent scientific expertise and regulatory support to assess the safety and efficacy of adapted vaccines so that they can be approved as quickly as possible."
Kyriakidou also thanked the EMEA staff for their support and expertise during this unprecedented public health crisis, "a crisis that two years later is still affecting our lives and work, and in the European response to which you and your organisation had a crucial role to play" as she said.
He added that the EMA had faced additional challenges as the organisation had just moved, due to Brexit, from London to Amsterdam and even had to deal with cyber attacks.
"As we manage this crisis, we also need to build a Europe that is better prepared to face future health crises and keep citizens safe," the Commissioner also stressed, explaining the rationale behind the Commission's proposals for a European Health Union, which includes strengthening the EMA's powers but also creating an EU medicines strategy.
"Together we will review the current rules on medicines to avoid creating bottlenecks and regulatory gaps and encourage new medical breakthroughs," Kyriakidou noted, adding that at the same time "we are addressing shortages and availability problems to ensure access to safe, effective and affordable medicines for patients across the EU."
Kyriakidou also mentioned two more developments concerning the EMA's work beyond the fight against coronavirus, namely the implementation of the Clinical Trials Regulation and the new regulations on veterinary products.
Source: CNA
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
