International agreements

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) cooperates with a number of countries and organisations outside the European Union (EU) based on specific types of agreement, which enable the signatories to share confidential information or facilitate market access and achieve greater international harmonisation while protecting consumer safety. 

Confidentiality arrangements

EMA has formalised its working relations with a number of third-country regulators through bilateral confidentiality arrangements. 

These arrangements enable the parties to exchange confidential information and provide a framework for regulatory cooperation. Their scope focusses on centrally authorised products, including marketing authorisation applications and referrals for human and veterinary medicines. 

Switzerland and the World Health Organization (WHO) signed the most recent confidentiality arrangements with EMA in 2015. 

The emphasis is on exchange of information concerning regulatory guidance, legislation and non-public information on products, as well as safety information including adverse reactions, good manufacturing practice (GMP) and good clinical practice (GCP) inspection findings.

The Agency has confidentiality arrangements with:

• Australia (Therapeutic Goods Administration)
• Canada (Health Canada)
• Japan (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Pharmaceuticals and Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA))
• Switzerland (Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products and the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs)
• United States (Food and Drug Administration)
• WHO

Mutual recognition agreements

The EU has signed a number of mutual recognition agreements with third-country authorities concerning the conformity assessment of regulated products, which cover the mutual recognition of GMP compliance for human and veterinary medicines. 

These agreements aim to facilitate market access while protecting consumer safety and encourage greater international harmonisation of compliance standards. 

The EU has mutual recognition agreements with:

• Australia
• Canada
• Japan
• New Zealand
• Switzerland
• United States of America
• Israel (agreement on conformity assessment and acceptance of industrial products)

Other cooperation schemes

The Agency also supports the European Commission’s cooperation on pharmaceuticals with:

• China
• India
• Russia