The news comes as part of a report from the European Commission (EC) on the 15th round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the European Union (EU) and the US.

The EC report states that ‘The state-of-play and the organization of the evaluation of the US and the EU GMP inspectorates were discussed. In light of the progress achieved, the conclusion of a mutual recognition agreement of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) inspections, by January 2017, is under consideration.’

The EC does add, however, that there are ‘a number of matters still to be agreed/discussed between the Parties, notably as regard the scope of the provisions and operational implementation’.

The report also goes on to say that the EU and US proposals with respect to the pharmaceutical sector ‘have been put side by side in order to identify commonalities’. Areas identified for collaboration included implementation of international standards, medicinal products authorization and antimicrobial resistance. While the exchange of confidential information between regulators and regulatory cooperation were also discussed.

Some groups, however, have warned against provisions in the TTIP which they believe could further delay access to generics [1].

Related article
Europe–Japan cooperation on generics and biosimilars regulation

Reference
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. TTIP could further delay access to generics [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2016 Dec 2]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Policies-Legislation/TTIP-could-further-delay-access-to-generics

Permission granted to reproduce for personal and non-commercial use only. All other reproduction, copy or reprinting of all or part of any ‘Content’ found on this website is strictly prohibited without the prior consent of the publisher. Contact the publisher to obtain permission before redistributing.

Copyright – Unless otherwise stated all contents of this website are © 2016 Pro Pharma Communications International. All Rights Reserved.