The EMA and the Aging Population

The article “Medicines for an Aging Population: The EMA Perspective and Policies,” recently published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, discusses the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Geriatric Medicines Strategy, which was adopted over a decade ago. The strategy focuses on improving the evidence base for marketing new medicines for older adults and ensuring clear communication of findings to patients and healthcare providers.

Key points include:

1. Strategy Goals:
   • Enhance evidence for new medicines targeting the older population.
   • Improve communication of findings to support informed decisions by patients and healthcare providers.
2. Developments Over the Decade:
   • New tools and data sources have emerged to support these goals.
   • The adoption of these new tools and data sources is recommended.
3. Proposed Actions:
   • Improve the design of clinical trials.
   • Enhance data collection both before and after drug approval.
   • Better assess findings.
   • Improve communication to aid informed prescription and safe medication use.
4. Implementation and Prioritization:
   • Actions should prioritize patient needs and resource efficiency.
   • Aim to integrate geriatric considerations into routine medicine development and assessment.

The article emphasizes the importance of addressing the specific needs of older patients and integrating these considerations into the entire lifecycle of medicines, from development to post-market assessment.¹

You can read the full text here.

References

1. Cerreta, F., Iskra, E. B., Cupelli, A., Sepodes, B., Rönnemaa, E., Rosa, M. M., Mayrhofer, S., Trauffler, M., Torre, C., Berntgen, M., Vucic, K., Bahri, P., Koch, A., Herdeiro, M. T., Skvrce, N. M., Pallos, J., & Laslop, A. (2024). Medicines for an aging population: The EMA perspective and policies. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.18953

Disclaimers

• The material in these reviews is from various public open-access sources, meant for educational and informational purposes only
• Any personal opinions expressed are those of only the author(s) and are not intended to represent the position of any organization(s)
• No official support by any organization(s) has been provided or should be inferred

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