Heads of Medicines Agencies: Highlights of the 83rd Meeting

The 83rd Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) meetings (human, veterinary and joint) took place in Amsterdam from 16 February 2016 to 18 February 2016.

The HMA meeting started with the veterinary part. Different subjects were discussed of which Telematics and the implications of the new veterinary legislation and Colistine resistance. The HMA joint meeting was opened by the Dutch minister of Health, Welfare and Sports, Edith Schippers, via a video message. The joint meeting revealed an important decision of future work of the EU medicines agencies: the adoption of the Multi Annual Work Program, including agreement on the eleven key business priority areas. Those are the priorities on which the heads and all HMA working groups and Task Forces will commit themselves to address the coming years.  The HMA human meeting closed the HMA meeting. Topics were among others the identification of the priorities and work plan of the CTFG, the European Risk Management Strategy Facilitation Group (ERMS FG) and the public hearing at the PRAC.