By Martin Banks - 11th January 2012
This is damaging the trust that European citizens should place in officials appointed to protect public health
ALTER-EU
New evidence alleges that the former head of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) set up his own consultancy business to advise pharmaceutical industry clients while he was still employed as the head of EMA.
It is said this is "damaging the trust that European citizens should place in officials appointed to protect public health".
It is also claimed that the alleged move by Thomas Lönngren could amount to a breach of the staff regulations that govern the conduct of EU officials.
According to transparency campaigners, Lönngren set up his own consultancy firm, Pharma Executive Consulting Ltd, within the headquarters of NDA Regulatory Science Ltd two months before he left EMA, the agency responsible for the approval and regulation of medicines
NDA Regulatory Science Ltd advises nine out of 10 pharmaceutical companies seeking regulatory approval for their products.
The Brussels-based Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU), Formindep and HAI Europe have now appealed to John Dalli, the commissioner for health and consumer policy, commission vice president Maroš Šefcovic and the new head of EMA, Guido Rasi, to look into the issue.
According to the European ombudsman, officials who arrange future jobs while still working for the EU institutions can provoke a serious conflict of interests.
In reference to a similar case at the European Food Safety Authority, the ombudsman recently ruled that officials should declare such job negotiations.
It is said that correspondence between Lönngren and EMA suggests that his relationship with NDA was only disclosed after he left EMA.
Lönngren's move to NDA was approved by EMA but was subject to some restrictions.
Yet campaigners consider that these conditions may not be sufficient to prevent the risk of conflicts of interest from arising.
Katrina Perehudoff speaking for ALTER-EU said, "The potential for NDA's clients in the pharmaceutical industry to benefit, however indirectly, from Lönngren's extensive network and knowledge of the European regulatory system as a result of his position at EMA is in conflict with the core mandate of EMA as a regulatory agency.
"It is hard to see how such a job move does not provoke a conflict of interest with his former responsibilities as an executive director who oversaw the evaluation and approval of medicine."
She added, "This new evidence of breaches of the rules in such a high-profile revolving door case highlights the substantial loopholes that still exist in the EU's staff regulations and how they are implemented by EMA.
"We urge the commission to recognise this problem and to urgently strengthen the current rules and procedures."
She went on, "This is damaging the trust that European citizens should place in officials appointed to protect public health."
