From September 21 to 24, Lisbon welcomed the 15th Meeting of the Network of Medicines Authorities of Ibero-America (EAMI), which celebrated the network’s 30th anniversary, with Infarmed, Portugal’s medicines regulatory authority, as host. The participating authorities committed to deepening regulatory cooperation, expanding the use of mutual recognition and trust mechanisms (reliance), and steering the network’s work toward concrete, measurable results.

According to Infarmed’s president, Rui Santos Ivo, “no ocean, border, or time zone can stand in the way of this shared purpose,” and the challenge now is to turn cooperation into effective benefits for public health.

Among the recommendations are concrete steps to make regulatory convergence an established practice, stronger technical cooperation between authorities at different levels of regulatory maturity, shared capacity-building resources, and greater co-responsibility among members. The agenda also included discussions on legislative changes in the European Union, digitalization and artificial intelligence, and tools for strengthening regulatory systems. The network also discussed the proposed 2027-2031 Strategic Plan, which will guide its priorities in the coming years.

The emphasis on reliance follows a movement already visible in Brazil, where ANVISA has been expanding the use of the procedure, and tends to favor integrated regulatory strategies across Ibero-American markets.

Image: Reproduction / El Global Farma