The European Medicines Agency today officially launched its new organisational structure along with a new visual identity1-4.
New structure and logo for European Medicines Agency
The European Medicines Agency today officially launched its new organisational structure along with a new visual identity1-4. The highlights of the new structure, which was announced in October5,6, include the integration of human pre- and post-authorisation activities into one unit “to guarantee seamless lifecycle-management of medicines”. There is also a new unit for patient health protection, which, according to the EMA (formerly the EMEA7,8), further strengthens its focus on safety-monitoring of medicines. A dedicated group has been set up to deal with the management of product data and documentation in a move that is aimed at improving the efficiency of data management processes throughout the agency. This is the second major reorganisation of the agency’s services since the body was established in 1995. Logo The new logo is a stylised representation of a mortar and pestle. This, according to the EMA, is “one of the most ancient and universally recognised images associated with medicines, which are the core focus of the Agency”. Figure 1. New EMA logo The logo incorporates the words science, medicines and health, which “represent the three pillars on which all of [the agency’s] work is based”. A new EMA website is expected to be launched early in 2010. References 1. EMA press release, EMA/704918/2009, 8 December 2009, www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/general/direct/pr/70491809en.pdf 2. EMA information document, EMA/704918/2009, 8 December 2009, www.emea.europa.eu/htms/general/direct/visual_identity.htm 3. EMA organisational structure, www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/general/direct/organisation.pdf 4. Guide to the European Medicines Agency, EMA/765521/2009, 8 December 2009, www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/general/direct/76552109en.pdf 5. EMEA press release, 5 October 2009, www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/general/direct/pr/52017309en.pdf 6. RAJ Pharma online, 6 October 2009 7. EMEA document, EMEA/747665/2009, 30 November 2009, www.emea.europa.eu/pdfs/general/direct/74766509en.pdf 8. RAJ Pharma online, 30 November 2009