The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Management Board elected Dr Christa Wirthumer-Hoche, the Head of the Austrian Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, as its Vice-Chair for a three-year period.

Dr Christa Wirthumer-Hoche succeeds Prof Dr Walter Schwerdtfeger, following his retirement from the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices.

The Board endorsed a draft strategy to 2020 developed together by EMA and national medicines regulatory authorities for both human and veterinary medicines in the Member States of the European Union (EU). The draft strategy will be released for a three-month public consultation shortly. The publication will be announced on the EMA and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) websites.

EMA and the national medicines regulatory authorities agreed for the first time on a joint high-level strategy for the EU medicines agencies network and key priorities for the next five years. An ever more coordinated approach and a strengthened collaboration are needed to address the multiple challenges and opportunities that the network is facing.

For more details, go to: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/news_and_events/news/2015/03/news_detail_002292.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058004d5c1