About the EDQM, its Vision & Mission

Our Vision

Our vision is to be a leader in protecting public health by establishing high quality standards for:

• Human and veterinary medicinal products,
• Blood transfusion and organ transplantation,
  
• The safe and appropriate use of medicines.

Our Core Values

As an organisation, we value first and foremost public health, scientific competence, integrity, objectivity and respect of the fundamental principles of the Council of Europe.

We are committed to working in partnership with regional, national and international agencies, authorities, institutions and industry associations for the wider benefit of all.

We are also committed to achieve the highest quality for our products and services for the benefit of our users, partners and employees through continuous improvement.

Our Mission

Our mission is to contribute to the basic human right of access to good quality medicines and healthcare, and to promote and protect human and animal health by:

• Establishing and providing official standards which apply to the manufacture and quality control of medicines in all the signatory states of the Convention for the elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia and beyond,
• Ensuring the application of these official standards to substances used for the production of medicines,
• Co-ordinating a network of Official Medicines Control Laboratories to collaborate and share expertise between Member States and effectively use limited resources,
• Establishing ethical and quality standards for the collection, storage and use of blood components relevant to blood transfusion and for organ transplantation, including tissues and cells,
• Collaborating with national and international organisations in efforts to eliminate illegal and counterfeit medicinal and medical products,
• Providing policies and model approaches for the safe use of medicines in Europe, including guidelines on pharmaceutical care.

An Overview

The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare is a Directorate of the Council of Europe located in Strasbourg.

The EDQM is responsible for the:

• Technical secretariat of the European Pharmacopoeia Commission,
• Preparation, establishment and distribution of Chemical Reference Standards, Biological Reference Preparations and Reference Spectra,
• Evaluation of applications for Certificates of Suitability of the Monographs of the European Pharmacopoeia and related coordination of related inspections,
• Co-ordination of the European network of Official Medicines Control Laboratories (OMCL),
• Co-ordination of activities for the elaboration of guidelines and recommendations for blood transfusion and organ transplantation activities,
• Co-ordination of activities for the elaboration of programmes and policies linking the quality of medicines to the quality and safety of their use, in the fields of pharmaceutical practice and care, risk prevention and management as regards counterfeiting of medicines, and the classification of medicines as regards their supply,
  
• Publication and distribution of all EDQM publications, including the European Pharmacopoeia.