European Medicines Agency's Management Board endorses work programme 2011 and launches new Road Map to 2015
Press releaseCorporate
Bids farewell to Thomas Lönngren after 10 years as Executive Director
The European Medicines Agency's Management Board adopted the Agency's work programme and budget for 2011 at its meeting on 16 December 2010. The work programme forecasts a stable number of applications for marketing authorisations for human and veterinary medicines in 2011.
The Agency expects some 97 applications in total (2010: 95) with 40 applications for new medicines for human use, in addition to 12 new orphan medicines and 42 generic applications (2010: 38, 14 and 41 respectively). Some 18 applications for new veterinary medicines are expected, with 4 generic applications (2010: 17 and 3 respectively).
The work programme is accompanied by a budget of € 208.9 million, an increase of 0.23% over 2010 that includes fee revenue of € 161 million (2010: € 152.8 million) and an EU contribution of € 33.5 million (2010: € 39.1). The special orphan medicines fund given by the EU has been reduced from € 8.2 million to € 4.9 million. No new staff posts are foreseen for 2011, with the staff ceiling fixed at the 2010 level of 567 temporary agents.
Road Map to 2015 adopted
Looking to the future, the Management Board also adopted the new 'Road Map to 2015'. Building on the success of the first road map for 2005 to 2010, the new strategy focuses on delivery of the Agency's core business, together with three priority areas for future actions to strengthen the Agency's role in addressing public health needs, facilitating access to medicines, and optimising safe use of medicines.
Adoption follows public consultation in the first half of 2010, and takes into account responses from 71 stakeholders including EU institutions, Member States, and organisations representing patients and consumers, healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical industry, academia and health technology assessment bodies.
Farewell to Thomas Lönngren
The Management Board also said farewell to Thomas Lönngren as he ends his 10-year mandate as Executive Director of the Agency on 31 December 2010. The Board thanked him for his leadership over the last ten years, which has seen the Agency become one of the most recognised regulatory authorities in the world.
Note
- The 2011 work programme and the Road Map to 2015 will be published in January 2011.