President of Infarmed, Rui Santos Ivo, elected President of the Board of Directors of EMA

Rui Santos Ivo, President of the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products IP (infarmed), was elected Chairman of the Management Board of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Rui Ivo has represented Portugal in this institution since 2016 and chaired the Group of Heads of Health Technology Assessment Agencies since 2021, having now been chosen to chair the EMA for the next three years. 

“It is a great honour to lead the EMA Management Board at a time of rapid change and regulatory challenges,” said the new president in a press release. In his new role, Rui Ivo will take on a three-year term, succeeding Lorraine Nolan, who will leave office on 21 March 2025.

According to the statement issued today by Infarmed, “After being appointed vice-president of the body he will now preside over, in October 2024, this election further reinforces the recognition of Rui Santos Ivo's vast experience and leadership in the area of ​​drug regulation”, also saying that his choice “Reflects the confidence of the Member States of the European Union in his ability to contribute to the European Drug Regulatory Network, which includes the national authorities of the Member States and the EMA.”

Santos Ivo, for his part, took up his new role explaining that “The times we live in, marked by rapid change, an increasingly complex environment and important legislative and regulatory developments, demonstrate the importance of EMA being agile and efficient, assuming full leadership and responsibility in safeguarding the EU’s high standards in protecting human and animal health, at the service of European citizens. As President, and with my colleagues on the Management Board, I will prioritise the essential partnership between EMA, national agencies and the European Commission, while together maintaining EMA’s strong international reputation as a leading regulatory authority”.

Emer Cooke, EMA’s Executive Director, highlighted Rui Santos Ivo’s knowledge and experience as key to the agency’s evolution towards 2028 and welcomed him, saying that he “brings a deep understanding of the European medicines regulatory system and has extensive experience within our network”. For Cooke, “his expertise will be crucial as EMA moves into its next strategic phase, including the implementation of our strategy for the network until 2028”.

O EMA Management Board He is responsible for the overall supervision of the Agency, including the approval of the budget and the annual business plan, as well as effective cooperation at institutional level within the European Union and internationally. As President of the Agency, Rui Santos Ivo will work closely with the Executive Director and all members of the Board, which includes representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the Member States of the European Union and the European Economic Area, and also civil society (associations of people with illnesses and healthcare professionals).

According to the press release published by the drug authority, “this appointment reinforces the position of Portugal and Infarmed on the European stage of drug regulation and represents recognition of the national contribution to public health in the European Union”.

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Antonio João Costa

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I am one of the directors of CannaReporter, which I founded together with Laura Ramos. I am from the unique Island of Madeira, where I currently reside. While I was in Lisbon at FCUL studying Physical Engineering, I became involved in the national hemp and cannabis scene and participated in several associations, some of which I am still a member of. I follow the global industry and especially legislative advances regarding the different uses of cannabis.

I can be contacted by email at joao.costa@cannareporter.eu

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