Open letter to and response from European Medicines Agency director: Staff Regulations ought to be reviewed and tightened

The attached letter outlines our concerns regarding:

- The arrangement of Mr Lönngren’s post-EMA employment with private sector pharmaceutical industry whilst he was still working for EMA;

- Mr Lönngren’s participation in pharmaceutical industry-based networks during and after his Executive Directorship;

- The rigour of the EMA’s evaluation and the authorisation process;

- The decision to approve Mr Lönngren’s future activities and its coherence with other EMA conflict of interest policies;

- The fact that, having left the service, some of Mr Lönngren’s public activities imply that he continues to formally represent EMA. In the attachedment, we ask specific questions regarding the steps that EMA will take to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

Update: following correspondence with Dr Lönngren, the press statement of 19 December 2011 that accompanied this letter has now been amended and the revised statement is available here: http://www.alter-eu.org/press-releases/2012/01/27/ex-ema-director-set-up....