Patient organisations endorse the establishment of a patient advisory board

The representatives of patient organisations perceived the patient advisory board to be established by Fimea as a new and important form of cooperation between a pharmaceutical regulatory authority and the users of medicines. 

Nearly thirty representatives of patient organisations, as well representatives from Fimea and Valvira, convened on 4 June 2019 to discuss the establishment of the patient advisory board and the commencement of its operations.

Several themes suitable to be addressed at the meetings of the advisory board emerged in the discussions, but at the same time clear objectives and focusing of operations were expected from Fimea. Examples of the potential themes proposed included the opening of the regulatory processes and publicising of reliable information on medicines targeted at patients. Additionally, a need was recognised to make the marketing authorisation process for medicines more familiar and to understand why the pharmacotherapies or medicinal devices authorised by the FDA in the United States are not directly authorised in Europe and Finland as well. Interest was also shown towards the operations of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The discussions also emphasised the significance of communications, noting that broad-based communications are an essential objective in the operations of the entire advisory board. The representatives of patient organisations considered it important that the elected advisory board representatives disseminate information about the operations even more broadly than among their own members. 

Call for applications to the patient advisory board will open early this autumn

All patient organisation that meet the criteria are invited to apply for membership in the patient advisory board, and Fimea will confirm the fixed-term appointments in such a way that the advisory board will have as diversified a patient representation as possible. The call for applications will open on the Fimea website early this autumn. The patient advisory board is intended to convene for the first time in the spring of 2020.