The European Medicines Agency’s Management Board has elected Dr Lorraine Nolan as chair of the Board for a threeyear period. Dr Nolan is the Chief Executive of the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), a post she has held since January 2016.
She has served as vice-chair of EMA’s Management Board since October 2019 and as member of the EMA Management Board since early 2016. Dr Nolan has more than 20 years’ experience in the area of medicines and wider health products’ regulation and has held a number of different roles at senior level within HPRA since joining the regulator in 2001. She is a pharmacist by training, having completed her PhD at Trinity College Dublin in drug development.
Ms Nolan takes over from Ms Christa Wirthumer-Hoche, Head of the Austrian Medicines and Medical Devices Agency, who has completed two three-year mandates as chair of EMA’s Management Board since March 2016.
“It is a great honour to be appointed to lead EMA’s Management Board. What has been evident throughout the past two years of the pandemic, and is clear also in the context of the devastating conf lict in Ukraine, is that EMA must remain agile, responsive and ready to show leadership and solidarity in light of significant developments in the environment in which it operates”, said Ms Nolan. “As chair, my focus will be to continue and further enhance the strong partnership between EMA, national agencies and the European Commission. Collectively, we must ensure that EMA continues to deliver the highest standards of public and animal health protection while maintaining its global reputation as a modern, progressive and transparent regulator”.
“I am very pleased to welcome Lorraine Nolan as the new chair of EMA’s Management Board. Lorraine has been an active Board member since 2016 and has led a number of strategic initiatives which have greatly supported EMA’s operational performance. I look forward to our continued close collaboration,” said Ms Emer Cooke, EMA’s Executive Director. “I would also like to express heartfelt thanks to Christa Wirthumer-Hoche.
Her extraordinary dedication and leadership over the past six years have been instrumental in supporting EMA’s response in the turbulent and challenging times it has faced, from Brexit to the Covid-19 pandemic”. The vice-chair of the Board will be elected at its next meeting, which will take place on 15- 16 June 2022.
