Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate

The SPOC (Single Point of Contact) is a group set up by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), responsible for monitoring and reporting events that may affect the availability of medicines in the European Union. Its aim is to improve the exchange of information between Member States, the EMA and the European Commission on shortages of medicinal products for both human and animal use.

During the meeting, the results of the work by the SPOC group and the EMA Steering Group on Shortages and Safety of Medicinal Products, to which SPOC submits its recommendations, were discussed. A preliminary draft of the methodology of analysis of the availability of critical medicines was also presented. The participants also watched a presentation from Health Canada, the Canadian government agency responsible for health security, on the measures taken in response to shortages of medicines.

The meeting took place on 14-15 October in Amsterdam. The Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate was represented by Magdalena Rychter, Director of the Pharmaceutical Supervision Department, and Martyna Jakubowska, Head of the Medicinal Products Circulation Monitoring Department.

Monitoring the availability of medicinal products is one of the areas supervised by the Inspectorate. The Chief Pharmaceutical Inspectorate prepares weekly summaries that include information on ongoing or expected obstructions to the supply of medicines. Their purpose is to ensure that healthcare professionals have access to reliable and up-to-date data allowing them to effectively plan prescribing, ordering and dispensing medicinal products: Availability of medicines (PL).