The National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) said it was pleased to have been invited to attend the 39th meeting of the VICH (International Cooperation on Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products).
Joining as a guest alongside the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, NOAH said that this marked a significant step as the transition period for the UK to leave the European Union comes to an end.
VICH promotes the establishment of safe and effective veterinary medicinal products across the world through wider international harmonisation of technical requirements for the registration of veterinary medicinal products.
Now in its third decade of activity, the 39th VICH Steering Committee and 13th VICH Outreach Forum (VOF) annual meetings took place online from November 16-19.
Until now, the UK has been a part of the EU team, represented through the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and AnimalHealthEurope, the European animal health association.
Dawn Howard, NOAH’s chief executive, said: “Whilst NOAH remains an active member of AnimalHealthEurope, theUK Veterinary Medicines Regulations, which have been linked to the EU regulatory process for many years, will be independent from January 2021. We look forward to working jointly with VMD to represent the UK within VICH.
“It is very welcome to be involved in these global discussions to be able to share expertise and reach global consensus on how animal medicines are regulated.”
