European Medicines Agency

European Medicines Agency (EMA) is a European Union agency responsible for the evaluation and supervision of Medicinal Products. The EMA is responsible for the scientific evaluation of applications for European marketing authorisation for medicinal products (human and veterinary), in the centralised procedure.

Pronunciation

The pronunciation of European Medicines Agency is /ˈjʊərəpiːən ˈmɛdɪsɪnz ˈeɪdʒənsi/.

Etymology

The term "European Medicines Agency" is derived from its function and jurisdiction. "European" refers to its scope across the European Union, "Medicines" refers to its focus on medicinal products, and "Agency" signifies its role as a regulatory body.

Functions

The EMA's main responsibility is to provide independent, science-based recommendations on the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines, and on more general issues relevant to public and animal health that involve medicines. It does this through the work of its scientific committees, working parties and other groups.

Related Terms

• Medicinal Products
• European marketing authorisation
• European Union
• Regulatory body
• Public health
• Animal health

See Also

• Food and Drug Administration
• World Health Organization

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