COVID-19 Steering Group
EMA’s COVID-19 Steering Group provides strategic oversight at EMA of the evolving scientific and regulatory challenges created by COVID-19, and other topics and emerging issues of importance, including from a political, interinstitutional or international perspective.
It also monitors the response to COVID-19 by EMA and the European medicines regulatory network, maintains and adapts EMA’s COVID-19 business continuity plan and oversees review and reporting on lessons learned from the pandemic.
The Steering group is composed of senior EMA staff. Melanie Carr, Head of Stakeholders and Communication Division and responsible for Crisis Management, chairs the Steering Group since July 2021.
The Steering Group was formerly known as the EMA COVID-19 Task Force.
EMA's health threats plan describes how European Medicines Agency responds to serious public health threats, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
It sets out the roles and responsibilities of its scientific committees and staff and describes EMA's communication with EU Member States, international partners, stakeholders and the public.
It also covers operational aspects such as providing rapid scientific advice for products under development and fast-track approval of medicines such as vaccines and antivirals. EMA activated its health threats plan in early 2020 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. 1)
Communications Management
Melanie Carr is Head of the Stakeholders and Communication Division and a member of the Executive Board at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as well as information group Drug Information Association - DIA Global
A global, member-driven organization mobilizing life sciences and healthcare professionals. DIA's members come together to collaborate and problem-solve, discussing global and local challenges facing the life sciences field in an increasingly more complex and interconnected world. DIA's goal, and our members' hope, is for this collaboration to result in better policies, regulations, science, research and development, and ultimately better patient outcomes worldwide.
DIA Global
For more than 50 years, DIA (the Drug Information Association) has served as a global forum for all those involved in health care product development and life cycle management to exchange knowledge and collaborate in a neutral setting. DIA is an essential resource that provides opportunities to extend debate and discussion to advance scientific and medical innovation. 2)