APMGR supports relocation of European Medicines Agency to Romania

The Association for Generic Medicine Producers (APMGR), the representative body of companies producing generic medicines in Romania, welcomes the decision of the Romanian Government to become a candidate to host in Bucharest the European Medicines Agency and shows availability to collaborate with the authorities to reach this objective.

APMGR believes that relocation of EMA to Romania would bring many economic and social benefits and would represent an acknowledgment of the strategic value of the pharma industry to Romania, an industry with a valuable human capital, with a long tradition, renown internationally and with a major potential for development.

Although the economic and financial constraints have left a mark on the development of this industry, the production facilities in Romania still provide around 8,000 work places and 15,000 other positions in related fields. The pharma industry in Romania currently includes exclusively generic medicines producers – APMGR member companies have production facilities in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Targu Mures and Constanta, where over 1,500 generic medicines are produced.

“Romania is ready to receive a regulating agency of the European Union, in particular one in the pharma sector, given that it has both renown experts in the field, as well as a pharmaceutical industry with a tradition,” Laurentiu Mihai, APMGR Executive Director said.

Romania’s hosting the EMA would bring to the attention of the public the importance of the local pharma industry, one of the 10 priority sectors with a potential to be competitive, included in the National Strategy for Competitiveness.

APMGR is ready to support the efforts of Romanian authorities to develop further this industry, to the benefit and patients and of the economy, the body said in a press release.