News FAMHP

The availability of appropriate antimicrobial medicines is important to fight antimicrobial resistance. The FAMHP strives to keep or to bring essential antimicrobial products on the market and to keep healthcare professionals and patients well informed. Again, as a result of those efforts: amoxicillin for injection/infusion has been back on the market in Belgium since April.

On 4th of July 2022, the FAMHP launches the Medicinal Product Management database, a new internal database for medicinal products. Due to the launch, it will be temporarily impossible to update the data in the existing medicinal product databases.

During its April 2022 meeting, the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) discussed a direct healthcare professional communication (DHPC) containing important information for Defitelio.

The current war in Ukraine has had a huge impact on clinical trials in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. Due to the war, a large number of patients in these countries participating in clinical trials are no longer able to participate. There are also problems with the supply of medicinal products and other supplies for conducting clinical trials. The relevant authorities in countries within the European Union are making every effort to ensure the continuity of treatment for patients in ongoing clinical trials by providing the option to continue their treatment at trial sites abroad.

During its April 2022 meeting, the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded that available evidence does not support a causal link between COVID-19 vaccines Comirnaty and Spikevax and very rare cases of autoimmune hepatitis.

The European Medicines Agency's Safety Working Party clarifies its recommendations on genotoxic medicines and the duration of contraception to apply to any genotoxic active substance, regardless of its therapeutic indication. However, the recommendations should not apply to active substances whose mechanism of genotoxicity is known to have a threshold which is not expected to be reached in patients. Marketing authorisation holders should take these new clarifications into account when considering the need to update their package leaflets.

Over the past few weeks, more than three hundred thousand citizens have obtained iodine tablets from their pharmacies as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. The FAMHP has listed a few recommendations.

The FAMHP takes part in the European pilot project for the repurposing of medicines to support non-profit organisations and academia. The project was launched by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA).

The European Regulation 536/2014 (Clinical Trial Regulation, CTR) came into force on 31 January 2022 and allows the packaging/labelling of investigational medicinal products already on the market not to be adapted for the clinical trial, except under special circumstances.

In many European countries, side effects have been reported in pets whose owners use transdermal oestrogen-containing medicinal products. The pets came into contact with or licked the area where the medicinal product was applied, usually the upper arm.