EFPIA and EGA among bodies announcing strategies to limit supply issues in Europe

European pharma bodies including the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), European Generic medicines Association (EGA) and Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) have announced joint principles that aim to limit supply chain disruption.

The document, Communication of information on quality and manufacturing potential supply disruption, forms part of the industry response to the European Medicines Agency call for voluntary and proactive action to provide European patients with uninterrupted access to medicines.

Quality and manufacturing issues can cause shortages, and in cases where a disruption to the manufacturing process of a medicine arises, marketing authorization holders are obliged to notify competent authorities in a timely manner. The document produced by the European trade groups addresses these kinds of communications, and introduces a harmonized approach to communication of information.