EMA goes all-virtual for remainder of 2020
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has announced that all its committee and working party meetings will be held virtually through the end of 2020. Stakeholder events will also be virtual through the end of the year as well, although a few events will have an in-person speaker panel.“EMA has taken steps to reduce the further spread of COVID-19, with the aim of protecting staff, delegates and experts and playing our part as responsible citizens in our host country, the Netherlands,” said EMA on its webpage detailing EMA governance during the coronavirus pandemic.
EMA announced its move to all-virtual committee and working party meetings hours ahead of the World Health Organization’s declaration of the global COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The agency twice extended the all-virtual policy, with the latest extension running through August 2020. (RELATED: Coronavirus: WHO Declares Pandemic, EMA Meetings go Virtual, Regulatory Focus 11 March 2020; EMA extends virtual-only meeting policy through August, Regulatory Focus 20 May 2020)
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to hold meetings virtually, including advisory committee meetings, formal meetings between FDA and sponsors, trainings, and public hearings.