Considerations on COM(2001)404-2 - Amendment of Directive 2001/83/EC on the EC code relating to medicinal products for human use - Main contents
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| dossier | COM(2001)404-2 - Amendment of Directive 2001/83/EC on the EC code relating to medicinal products for human use. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2001)404  |
| date | March 31, 2004 |
(2) The Community legislation so far adopted has made a major contribution to the achievement of the objective of the free and safe movement of medicinal products for human use and the elimination of obstacles to trade in such products. However, in the light of the experience acquired, it has become clear that new measures are necessary to eliminate the remaining obstacles to free movement.
(3) It is therefore necessary to align the national laws, regulations and administrative provisions which contain differences with regard to the basic principles in order to promote the operation of the internal market while realising a high level of human health protection.
(4) The main purpose of any regulation on the manufacture and distribution of medicinal products for human use should be to safeguard public health. However, this objective should be achieved by means which do not hinder the development of the pharmaceutical industry or trade in medicinal products in the Community.
(5) Article 71 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2309/93 of 22 July 1993 laying down Community procedures for the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products for human and veterinary use and establishing a European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products(5) provided that, within six years of its entry into force, the Commission was required to publish a general report on the experience acquired as a result of the operation of the marketing authorisation procedures laid down in that Regulation and in other Community legal provisions.
(6) In the light of the Commission's report on the experience acquired, it has proved necessary to improve the operation of the marketing authorisation procedures for medicinal products in the Community.
(7) Particularly as a result of scientific and technical progress, the definitions and scope of Directive 2001/83/EC should be clarified in order to achieve high standards for the quality, safety and efficacy of medicinal products for human use. In order to take account both of the emergence of new therapies and of the growing number of so-called 'borderline' products between the medicinal product sector and other sectors, the definition of 'medicinal product' should be modified so as to avoid any doubt as to the applicable legislation when a product, whilst fully falling within the definition of a medicinal product, may also fall within the definition of other regulated products. This definition should specify the type of action that the medicinal product may exert on physiological functions. This enumeration of actions will also make it possible to cover medicinal products such as gene therapy, radiopharmaceutical products as well as certain medicinal products for topical use. Also, in view of the characteristics of pharmaceutical legislation, provision should be made for such legislation to apply. With the same objective of clarifying situations, where a given product comes under the definition of a medicinal product but could also fall within the definition of other regulated products, it is necessary, in case of doubt and in order to ensure legal certainty, to state explicitly which provisions have to be complied with. Where a product comes clearly under the definition of other product categories, in particular food, food supplements, medical devices, biocides or cosmetics, this Directive should not apply. It is also appropriate to improve the consistency of the terminology of pharmaceutical legislation.
(8) Wherever it is proposed to change the scope of the centralised procedure, it should no longer be possible to opt for the mutual-recognition procedure or the decentralised procedure in respect of orphan medicinal products and medicinal products which contain new active substances and for which the therapeutic indication is the treatment of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, cancer, neurodegenerative disorder or diabetes. Four years after the date of entry into force of Regulation (EC) No 726/2004(6), it should no longer be possible to opt for the mutual-recognition procedure or the decentralised procedure in respect of medicinal products which contain new active substances and for which the therapeutic indication is the treatment of auto-immune diseases and other immune dysfunctions and viral diseases.
(9) On the other hand, in the case of generic medicinal products of which the reference medicinal product has been granted a marketing authorisation under the centralised procedure, applicants seeking marketing authorisation should be able to choose either of the two procedures, on certain conditions. Similarly, the mutual-recognition or decentralised procedure should be available as an option for medicinal products which represent a therapeutic innovation or which are of benefit to society or to patients.
(10) In order to increase availability of medicinal products, in particular on smaller markets, it should, in cases where an applicant does not apply for an authorisation for a medicinal product in the context of the mutual-recognition procedure in a given Member State, be possible for that Member State, for justified public health reasons, to authorise the placing on the market of the medicinal product.
(11) Evaluation of the operation of marketing authorisation procedures has revealed the need to revise, in particular, the mutual-recognition procedure in order to improve the opportunities for cooperation between Member States. This cooperation process should be formalised by setting up a coordination group for this procedure and by defining its operation so as to settle disagreements within the framework of a revised decentralised procedure.
(12) With regard to referrals, the experience acquired reveals the need for an appropriate procedure, particularly in the case of referrals relating to an entire therapeutic class or to all medicinal products containing the same active substance.
(13) There is a need to provide for the ethical requirements of Directive 2001/20/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 4 April 2001 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the implementation of good clinical practice in the conduct of clinical trials on medicinal products for human use(7) to apply to all medicinal products authorised within the Community. In particular, with respect to clinical trials conducted outside the Community on medicinal products destined to be authorised within the Community, it should be verified, at the time of the evaluation of the application for authorisation, that these trials were conducted in accordance with the principles of good clinical practice and the ethical requirements equivalent to the provisions of that Directive.
(14) Since generic medicines account for a major part of the market in medicinal products, their access to the Community market should be facilitated in the light of the experience acquired. Furthermore, the period for protection of data relating to pre-clinical tests and clinical trials should be harmonised.
(15) Biological medicinal products similar to a reference medicinal product do not usually meet all the conditions to be considered as a generic medicinal product mainly due to manufacturing process characteristics, raw materials used, molecular characteristics and therapeutic modes of action. When a biological medicinal product does not meet all the conditions to be considered as a generic medicinal product, the results of appropriate tests should be provided in order to fulfil the requirements related to safety (pre-clinical tests) or to efficacy (clinical tests) or to both.
(16) The criteria of quality, safety and efficacy should enable the risk-benefit balance of all medicinal products to be assessed both when they are placed on the market and at any other time the competent authority deems this appropriate. In this connection, it is necessary to harmonise and adapt the criteria for refusal, suspension and revocation of marketing authorisations.
(17) A marketing authorisation should be renewed once five years after the granting of the marketing authorisation. Thereafter, the marketing authorisation should normally be of unlimited validity. Furthermore, any authorisation not used for three consecutive years, that is to say one which has not led to the placing on the market of a medicinal product in the Member States concerned during that period, should be considered invalid, in order, in particular, to avoid the administrative burden of maintaining such authorisations. However, exemptions from this rule should be granted when these are justified on public health grounds.
(18) The environmental impact should be assessed and, on a case-by-case basis, specific arrangements to limit it should be envisaged. In any event this impact should not constitute a criterion for refusal of a marketing authorisation.
(19) The quality of medicinal products for human use manufactured or available in the Community should be guaranteed by requiring that the active substances used in their composition comply with the principles of good manufacturing practice in relation to those medicinal products. It has proved necessary to reinforce the Community provisions on inspections and to compile a Community register of the results of those inspections.
(20) Pharmacovigilance and, more generally, market surveillance and sanctions in the event of failure to comply with the provisions should be stepped up. In the field of pharmacovigilance, account should be taken of the facilities offered by new information technologies to improve exchanges between Member States.
(21) As part of the proper use of medicinal products, the rules on packaging should be adapted to take account of the experience acquired.
(22) The measures necessary for the implementation of this Directive should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission(8).
(23) Directive 2001/83/EC should be amended accordingly.