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Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 laying down Union procedures for the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products for human and veterinary use and establishing a European Medicines Agency (Text with EEA relevance)

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TITLE VU.K.GENERAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS

Article 81U.K.

1.All decisions to grant, refuse, vary, suspend, withdraw or revoke a marketing authorisation which are taken in accordance with this Regulation shall state in detail the reasons on which they are based. Such decisions shall be notified to the party concerned.

2.An authorisation to place a medicinal product governed by this Regulation on the market shall not be granted, refused, varied, suspended, withdrawn or revoked except through the procedures and on the grounds set out in this Regulation.

Article 82U.K.

1.Only one authorisation may be granted to an applicant for a specific medicinal product.

However, the Commission shall authorise the same applicant to submit more than one application to the Agency for that medicinal product when there are objective verifiable reasons relating to public health regarding the availability of medicinal products to health-care professionals and/or patients, or for co-marketing reasons.

2.As regards medicinal products for human use, Article 98(3) of Directive 2001/83/EC shall apply to medicinal products authorised under this Regulation.

[F13. Without prejudice to the unique, Union nature of the content of the documents referred to in points (a) to (d) of Article 9(4) and in points (a) to (e) of Article 34(4), this Regulation shall not prohibit the use of two or more commercial designs for a given medicinal product for human use covered by a single marketing authorisation.]

Article 83U.K.

1.By way of exemption from Article 6 of Directive 2001/83/EC Member States may make a medicinal product for human use belonging to the categories referred to in Article 3(1) and (2) of this Regulation available for compassionate use.

2.For the purposes of this Article, ‘compassionate use’ shall mean making a medicinal product belonging to the categories referred to in Article 3(1) and (2) available for compassionate reasons to a group of patients with a chronically or seriously debilitating disease or whose disease is considered to be life-threatening, and who can not be treated satisfactorily by an authorised medicinal product. The medicinal product concerned must either be the subject of an application for a marketing authorisation in accordance with Article 6 of this Regulation or must be undergoing clinical trials.

3.When a Member State makes use of the possibility provided for in paragraph 1 it shall notify the Agency.

4.When compassionate use is envisaged, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, after consulting the manufacturer or the applicant, may adopt opinions on the conditions for use, the conditions for distribution and the patients targeted. The opinions shall be updated on a regular basis.

5.Member States shall take account of any available opinions.

6.The Agency shall keep an up-to-date list of the opinions adopted in accordance with paragraph 4, which shall be published on its website. [F1Article 28(1) and (2) shall apply mutatis mutandis .]

7.The opinions referred to in paragraph 4 shall not affect the civil or criminal liability of the manufacturer or of the applicant for marketing authorisation.

8.Where a compassionate use programme has been set up, the applicant shall ensure that patients taking part also have access to the new medicinal product during the period between authorisation and placing on the market.

9.This Article shall be without prejudice to Directive 2001/20/EC and to Article 5 of Directive 2001/83/EC.

Article 84U.K.

1.Without prejudice to the [F2Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the European Union], each Member State shall determine the penalties to be applied for infringement of the provisions of this Regulation or the regulations adopted pursuant to it and shall take all measures necessary for their implementation. The penalties shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.

Member States shall inform the Commission of these provisions no later than 31 December 2004. They shall notify any subsequent alterations as soon as possible.

2.Member States shall inform the Commission immediately of any litigation instituted for infringement of this Regulation.

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[F4Article 84a U.K.

1. The Commission may impose financial penalties in the form of fines or periodic penalty payments on the holders of marketing authorisations granted under this Regulation if they fail to comply with any of the obligations laid down in Annex II in connection with the marketing authorisations.

2. The Commission may, insofar as specifically provided for in the delegated acts referred to in point (b) of paragraph 10, impose the financial penalties referred to in paragraph 1 also on a legal entity or legal entities other than the marketing authorisation holder provided that such entities form part of the same economic entity as the marketing authorisation holder and that such other legal entities:

(a) exerted a decisive influence over the marketing authorisation holder; or

(b) were involved in, or could have addressed, such failure to comply with the obligation by the marketing authorisation holder.

3. Where the Agency or a competent authority of a Member State is of the opinion that a marketing authorisation holder has failed to comply with any of the obligations, as referred to in paragraph 1, it may request the Commission to investigate whether to impose financial penalties pursuant to that paragraph.

4. In determining whether to impose a financial penalty and in determining its appropriate amount, the Commission shall be guided by the principles of effectiveness, proportionality and dissuasiveness and take into consideration, where relevant, the seriousness and the effects of the failure to comply with the obligations.

5. For the purposes of paragraph 1, the Commission shall also take into account:

(a) any infringement procedure initiated by a Member State against the same marketing authorisation holder on the basis of the same legal grounds and the same facts; and

(b) any sanctions, including penalties, already imposed on the same marketing authorisation holder on the basis of the same legal grounds and the same facts.

6. Where the Commission finds that the marketing authorisation holder has failed, intentionally or negligently, to comply with its obligations, as referred to in paragraph 1, it may adopt a decision imposing a fine not exceeding 5 % of the marketing authorisation holder’s Union turnover in the business year preceding the date of that decision.

Where the marketing authorisation holder continues to fail to comply with its obligations referred to in paragraph 1, the Commission may adopt a decision imposing periodic penalty payments per day not exceeding 2,5 % of the marketing authorisation holder’s average daily Union turnover in the business year preceding the date of that decision.

Periodic penalty payments may be imposed for a period running from the date of notification of the relevant Commission's decision until the failure to comply with the obligation by the marketing authorisation holder, as referred to in paragraph 1, has been brought to an end.

7. When conducting the investigation on a failure to comply with any of the obligations referred to in paragraph 1, the Commission may cooperate with national competent authorities and rely on resources provided by the Agency.

8. Where the Commission adopts a decision imposing a financial penalty, it shall publish a concise summary of the case, including the names of the marketing authorisation holders involved and the amounts of and reasons for the financial penalties imposed, having regard to the legitimate interest of the marketing authorisation holders for the protection of their business secrets.

9. The Court of Justice of the European Union shall have unlimited jurisdiction to review decisions whereby the Commission has imposed financial penalties. The Court of Justice of the European Union may cancel, reduce or increase the fine or periodic penalty payment imposed by the Commission.

10. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 87b in order to supplement this Regulation by laying down:

(a) procedures to be applied by the Commission when imposing fines or periodic penalty payments, including rules on the initiation of the procedure, measures of inquiry, rights of the defence, access to file, legal representation and confidentiality;

(b) further detailed rules on the imposition by the Commission of financial penalties on legal entities other than the marketing authorisation holder;

(c) rules on duration of procedure and limitation periods;

(d) elements to be taken into account by the Commission when setting the level of and imposing fines and periodic penalty payments, as well as the conditions and methods for their collection.]

Article 85U.K.

This Regulation shall not affect the competences vested in the European Food Safety Authority created by Regulation (EC) No 178/2002(1).

Article 86U.K.

At least every ten years, the Commission shall publish a general report on the experience acquired as a result of the operation of the procedures laid down in this Regulation, in Chapter 4 of Title III of Directive 2001/83/EC and in Chapter 4 of Title III of Directive 2001/82/EC.

[F4Article 86a U.K.

By 2019, the Commission shall review the regulatory framework for fees payable to the Agency in relation to medicinal products for human use and veterinary medicinal products. The Commission shall put forward, as appropriate, legislative proposals with a view to update that framework. When reviewing the regulatory framework for fees payable to the Agency, the Commission shall pay attention to potential risks related to the fluctuations in the fee revenue of the Agency.]

Article 87U.K.

1.The Commission shall be assisted by the Standing Committee on Medicinal Products for Human Use set up by Article 121 of Directive 2001/83/EC and by the Standing Committee on Veterinary Medicinal Products set up by Article 89 of Directive 2001/82/EC.

2.Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 5 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.

The period laid down in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at three months.

[F52a. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5a(1) to (4) and Article 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.]

3.Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.

The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at one month.

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[F7Article 87a U.K.

In order to harmonise the performance of the pharmacovigilance activities provided for in this Regulation, the Commission shall adopt implementing measures as provided for in Article 108 of Directive 2001/83/EC covering the following areas:

(a)

the content and maintenance of the pharmacovigilance system master file kept by the marketing authorisation holder;

(b)

the minimum requirements for the quality system for the performance of pharmacovigilance activities by the Agency;

(c)

the use of internationally agreed terminology, formats and standards for the performance of pharmacovigilance activities;

(d)

the minimum requirements for the monitoring of data included in the Eudravigilance database to determine whether there are new risks or whether risks have changed;

(e)

the format and content of electronic transmission of suspected adverse reactions by Member States and marketing authorisation holders;

(f)

the format and content of electronic periodic safety update reports and risk management plans;

(g)

the format of protocols, abstracts and final study reports of the post-authorisation safety studies.

Those measures shall take account of the work on international harmonisation carried out in the area of pharmacovigilance and shall, where necessary, be revised to take account of technical and scientific progress. Those measures shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure referred to in Article 87(2).

[F2Article 87b U.K.

1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.

2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 10b(1), 14-a(9), 16a(3), the second paragraph of Article 16b, and Article 84a(10) shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of five years from 28 January 2019 . The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before the end of the five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period.

3. The delegation of power referred to in Articles 10b(1), 14-a(9), 16a(3), the second paragraph of Article 16b, and Article 84a(10) may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.

4. Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consult experts designated by each Member State in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making (2) .

5. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.

6. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles 10b(1), 14-a(9), 16a(3), the second paragraph of Article 16b, and Article 84a(10) shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or by the Council within a period of three months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and to the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by three months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.] ]

F3Article 87cU.K.

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F3Article 87dU.K.

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Article 88U.K.

Regulation (EEC) No 2309/93/EC is hereby repealed.

References to the repealed Regulation shall be construed as references to this Regulation.

Article 89U.K.

The periods of protection provided for in Articles 14(11) and 39(10) shall not apply to reference medicinal products for which an application for authorisation has been submitted before the date referred to in Article 90, second paragraph.

Article 90U.K.

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

By way of derogation from the first paragraph, Titles I, II, III and V shall apply from 20 November 2005 and point 3, fifth and sixth indent of the Annex shall apply from 20 May 2008.

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