Regulatory Roundup: EMA and the European Monitoring Center for Drugs to Cooperate; And More.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction agreed to a working arrangment on June 14, 2010, as part of EMA’s initiative to “cooperate with other European Union bodies for early identification and management of potential conflicts over scientific opinions,” according to an agency press release. The agreement includes fostering cooperation between the two agencies, including sharing information and reports on new psychoactive substances and any misuse of these products.

According to various Chinese media reports, on June 13, 2010, the deputy head of the China State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), Zhang Jingli, was fired for disciplinary violations. In 2007, the then SFDA Chief Zheng Xiaoyu was executed after an investigation showed that he approved unsafe drugs, which ultimately led to the deaths of some consumers, in exchange for money. An investigation on Zhang is being conducted.