Patients and consumers
On this page, you will find information on the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) activities that are most relevant to patients and carers, including news and events.
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Patients are at the heart of our work. As experts in their own conditions, they bring their valuable lived experience that helps EMA’s understanding of diseases and treatments. This spans the early stages of research through to the approval of new medicines and monitoring their safety once they are on the market.
EMA has been actively engaging with patients since its creation in 1995. Interactions have been formalised in an engagement framework and patients are now involved in almost every activity at EMA.
Working with patients and consumers
Patient and consumer engagement
Patient and consumer engagement activities, engagement reports, and the framework that supports EMA's engagement with patients and consumer
Getting involved in EMA activities
Patients, consumers and carers can get involved as either representatives of patients' and consumers' organisations, representatives of their own organisation or as individual experts
Eligible patients and consumers organisations
Organisations that fulfil eligibility criteria receive targeted EMA communications concerning medicines and consultations, invitations to workshops and training, and frequently assist in the identification of experts for product-specific matters.
Patients and Consumers Working Party (PCWP)
The PCWP is a platform for exchange of information and discussion of issues of common interest between EMA and representatives of the member patient and consumer organisations.
Information for patients and consumers
Practical resources for patients and consumers
Videos and podcasts explaining EMA’s role, information booklets and documents to support patient and consumer engagement at EMA
Key documents
Documents on key areas of EMA's work with patients and consumers and their organisations and archived documents
Featured topics from our website
Reform of the EU pharmaceutical legislation
Information on the upcoming changes introduced by the European Union's (EU) comprehensive overhaul of its pharmaceutical legislation
Patient experience data (PED) reflection paper
PED are data that directly reflect the patient experience, without doctors or other parties interpreting them. EMA has drafted a reflection paper that encourages developers to engage with stakeholders at an early stage
Safety of medicines
Information for patients on how the safety of medicines is ensured in the EU
Vaccines: concerns, questions and false claims
Information from EMA addressing concerns, questions and false claims about vaccines
Buying medicines online
Information on how to stay safe when buying medicines online
Women's health
EMA works to ensure that the needs of women are considered throughout the development, evaluation and use of medicines in the EU
What we publish on medicines and when
Information on what EMA publishes and when for human and veterinary medicines, as well as publication times and locations
Download medicine data
You can download data related to medicines published on EMA's website in table format. The website automatically updates these data tables overnight
Cancer medicines
Information on how cancer medicines are developed and authorised in the EU, with initiatives that include patients’ perspectives to improve access and care
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Human Medicines Highlights is an EMA monthly newsletter aimed at patients, consumers and healthcare professionals. It contains updates on medicines regulation, open consultations and news for stakeholders.
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