The 26th Annual Meeting of the European Network of Official Medicines Control Laboratories (OMCLs) took place from 6 to 10 September 2021 and was held virtually due to the ongoing pandemic situation. The meeting, organised by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), was attended by more than 500 participants from 42 countries over the course of the week.
Participants in the general session of the Annual Meeting discussed the growing need for specialised testing activities due to the rising complexity of chemical and biological analytical techniques, which requires the investment in new and often costly equipment. As a consequence, a number of network activities are conducted in specialised centres and over time specific networks and working groups have been established. Throughout the week, examples of specialised testing activities were presented and discussed, including the use of cell-based potency assays, for which an increase in capacities will become necessary. The network also reviewed potential needs for independent control testing of gene therapy products, a growing product group in the European market, and agreed to foster this initiative subject to necessary investments in equipment and human resources.
For more information, read the press release “OMCL Annual Meeting 2021: European Quality Control Programmes and Strategies for Medicines”.
See also: