The European Medicines Verification Organisation (EMVO) has appointed Sonia Ruiz Moran as its new president, replacing John Chave, former secretary general of Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU).
She comes to the EMVO with a wealth of pharma experience, having led European Public Affairs at the General Pharmaceutical Council of Spain, since 2008.
This saw her head up the Council’s Brussel’s office, providing strategic advice in EU regulatory affairs, together with advocacy on initiatives with an impact on health issues.
Prior to joining the General Pharmaceutical Council of Spain, Ruiz Moran worked at Prisa, a leading education and entertainment-focused media holding company in Spanish-speaking countries.
She said: “The planning and design of a pan-European medicine verification system has been very complex. I believe that our mission now is about helping stakeholders in Member States to implement national verification systems that function at an equal level of efficacy, are interoperable and cost effective, in order to prevent falsified medicines from reaching patients, in accordance with EU legislation.”
Set up in February by a group of European trade associations that includes EFPIA and its counterparts in generics, biosimilars and wholesalers, the EMVO is based in Luxembourg.