The Malta Medicines Authority welcomed a delegation from the Medicines Evaluation Board, the national competent authority for medicines in the Netherlands that visited Malta to discuss current and future collaborations between the two authorities.
The Malta Medicines Authority collaborates with international bodies to carry out its strategy for the regulation of medicines through a scientific lens. The Medicines Evaluation Board, within the European Network, is a key player in the exchange of scientific best practices and the guiding of policies to establish common strategies. An agreement between the Malta Medicines Authority and the Medicines Evaluation Board in the Netherlands details long-term cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical policy and medicines regulatory sciences. The aim of this collaboration between the two authorities is to support the Malta Medicines Authority to increase its scientific capacity and competence in the field of medicines regulatory science, to contribute to work sharing within the EU medicines regulatory network, and to participate fully in the activities of the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
During the press conference, Minister for Tourism and Consumer Protection Clayton Bartolo stated that this alliance is mutually beneficial and helps the Malta Medicines Authority consolidate and increase the expertise of its assessors. “There is an ongoing understanding between the two authorities to enhance this successful collaboration in terms of both the quantity and the diversity of its work. The Malta Medicines Authority continues to strengthen its team of internal and external assessors to handle challenging procedures, such as assessments of advanced therapies”, outlined Minister Clayton Bartolo.
Parliamentary Secretary for Consumer Protection and Public Cleansing Deo Debattista said that in the last four years, the Malta Medicines Authority has benefited from around €700,000 a year from the Netherlands to cover the cost of new recruits during their training period. “It is envisaged that cooperation with the Netherlands will be extended to other emerging areas developing in the Malta Medicines Authority, such as the cannabis industry, third country EU-GMP certification, medical devices, radiopharmaceuticals, the development of an Official Medicines Control Laboratory, collaboration in veterinary medicines, and vaccines”, said the parliamentary secretary. He also said that the government is looking forward to fruitful discussions regarding current and future endeavours. This will continue to enhance Malta’s contribution to the EU Network in ensuring the quality, safety, and efficacy of medicines in Europe.
Prof Anthony Serracino-Inglott said that the cooperation between the Malta Medicines Authority and other competent European authorities is of great help as it enables the Maltese authority to keep its strong position in the regulatory field of medicines in Europe. “This work is of great significance as it is based on training and education after professionals within the Malta Medicines Authority, particularly pharmacists and those that studied pharmaceutical sciences, specialise in the area of assessment of medicines by working shoulder to shoulder with professionals from the Netherlands and in this way continue to increase the prestige of pharmacy in Malta and encourage youths to commence their studies in the pharmaceutical field”, said Prof. Serracino-Inglott.
This arrangement complements other scientific and training initiatives at the Medicines Authority such as contributions by the recently established Academy for Patient Centred Excellence and Innovation in Regulatory Sciences within the Advanced Scientific Initiatives Directorate, as well as the fellowship programme, which has enabled pharmacists to obtain a Doctorate in Pharmacy degree, other graduates to enrol for a PhD, and a number of other educational advancements.
