The European Pharmacopoeia Commission (EPC) held its 180th session on 19 and 20 November 2024. A summary of its outcome is available in the infographic below. Highlights will be published shortly on the website of the European Directorate for Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) and the full list of adopted texts will be made available on the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) work programme web page in the coming weeks.
The 181st session of the EPC will take place in hybrid format on 25 and 26 March 2025.
Major animal welfare achievement: EPC agrees to suppress three general chapters describing animal tests from the Ph. Eur.
Following on from the 179th session of the EPC, at which it was decided to remove all reference to general chapter 2.6.8. Pyrogens – describing the rabbit pyrogen test – from the Ph. Eur. (57 texts, no less), the EPC has further demonstrated its commitment to animal welfare by not only removing chapter 2.6.8 entirely but also by suppressing two further general chapters, 2.6.10. Histamine, which uses guinea pigs, and 2.6.11. Depressor substances, which uses cats. Together with the suppression of general chapter 2.6.9. Abnormal toxicity in 2017, the EPC has now abolished all general animal safety tests in the Ph. Eur. This landmark decision will be effective as of 1 January 2026.
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