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                CVM Updates

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          CVM Updates
          FDA and European Union Announce Mutual Recognition Agreement for Pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice Inspections of Animal DrugsCVM Updates FDA and European Union Announce Mutual Recognition Agreement for Pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practice Inspections of Animal Drugs
  
  	
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Union (EU) are announcing today their decision to expand the scope of the U.S.-EU Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) Sectoral Annex for Pharmaceutical Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to include inspections of veterinary pharmaceuticals (also called “animal drugs”). This MRA entered into force on November 1, 2017, but initially included only pharmaceuticals intended for human use. Today’s action to include animal drugs in the MRA is an important step in ensuring the safety and quality of animal drug products and will enhance efficiencies for the U.S. and EU regulatory systems.

An MRA is an agreement between two or more countries to recognize a specific process or procedure of the other country, and this is the first step toward strengthening use of each other’s animal drug inspection expertise and resources. The overall goal of the MRA is to produce greater efficiencies for both regulatory systems and provide a more practical means for both the FDA and the EU to oversee the facilities that manufacture animal drugs. By utilizing each other’s inspection reports and related information, an MRA can ultimately enable the FDA and the EU to avoid duplication of some animal drug inspections and enable regulators to devote more resources to other areas where there may be greater risk.

Over the past several months, the FDA has taken numerous steps to prepare for expanding and implementing the MRA’s coverage to include animal drugs. Among other things, this has included sharing information with the EU about FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine’s oversight of animal drug manufacturing in the U.S.; observing EU audits of individual member states including observations of inspections conducted by EU member state inspectors; and conducting assessments of some EU member states’ regulatory frameworks, which found that these member states have the capability, capacity, and procedures to carry out routine GMP surveillance inspections that meet FDA requirements for animal drugs.

For more information:

Mutual Recognition Agreement / Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
	Mutual Recognition Agreement**Issued by FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine.
For questions, Contact CVM.**

                                                                                  Content current as of:
      05/31/2023CVM Updates
 
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