Contribution of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Healthcare Products to the European Committee for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products for Human Use

Abstract

The centralized procedure for registering medicinal products involves a joint assessment by all regulatory agencies of European Union member states, which are coordinated by the European Medicines Agency. Since its implementation in 1995, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Healthcare Products (AEMPS) has actively contributed to the committee on medicinal products for human use. The therapeutic areas in which AEMPS has the greatest presence are cardiovascular, sensory organs (mainly ophthalmology) and genitourinary/sexual hormones. The technical staff of AEMPS contribute their expertise and extensive experience to this task, as do the practitioners of the Spanish healthcare system who act as external experts, providing their clinical vision and bringing the daily clinical practice to the evaluation of medicinal products. As with other European decision spaces, the joint participation of the member states is not homogeneous, with a minority of countries still heading the majority of assessments for the committee on medicinal products for human use, although all member countries take part in the final decision.