AFSSAPS is no more

AFSSAPS (French Health Products Safety Agency) becomes ANSM (National Agency for the Safety of Drugs and Health Products)

The bill relating to the reinforcement of the safety of drugs and health products was finally passed by the French Parliament in December 2011. It overhauls the health and safety system for health products to reconcile patient safety and access to therapeutic advances. In addition to this name change, ANSM’s board will no longer include representatives from the pharmaceutical industry and must improve the evaluation of drugs, including those already on the market. Concerning pharmacovigilance, ANSM must scientifically evaluate the information gathered throughout a product’s lifetime. It will also have access to the list of all clinical trials carried out by the laboratory before the marketing authorization and may order new studies.