EMEA's first meeting of CAT hailed as pharma industry milestone

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) held the first meeting earlier this month of the new Committee for Advanced Therapies, a multi-disciplinary  body gathering together some of the best available experts in Europe to  assess the quality, safety and efficacy of advanced therapy medicinal  products and to follow scientific developments in the field. It was  established in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1394/2007 on these  agents.

ATMPs are medicinal products for human use, and are based on gene and  somatic cell therapy or tissue engineering. They offer groundbreaking  new treatment opportunities for diseases and injuries of the human  body. The regulatory framework established by the new legislation on  ATMPs is designed to ensure the free movement of these medicines within  the European Union, to facilitate their access to the EU market, and  to foster the competitiveness of the region's pharmaceutical companies  in the field, while guaranteeing the highest level of health protection  for patients.

Welcoming the Committee members, EMEA Executive Director Thomas Lonngren  said: "the establishment of the CAT, the sixth scientific committee here  at the EMEA, is a milestone in the history of pharmaceutical regulation  in Europe. Some of the best experts in the field of advanced therapies  will be working together so that patients suffering from serious  diseases and injuries across the EU can safely benefit from  revolutionary new treatments. Their work will help pharmaceutical  companies, in particular small and medium-sized ones, to unleash their  innovative potential and bring new medicines to the market."