Structure
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) is a directorate of the Council of Europe.
Its origins date back to 1964, when the Convention on the Elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia was adopted by the Council of Europe, with the vision of creating a common European Pharmacopoeia.
The creation of a technical Secretariat was foreseen in the convention, and over the years it has become a directorate, with successive name changes reflecting the new missions assigned to it.
In 2021, the EDQM employs nearly 400 staff of 25 different nationalities and is composed of nine administrative entities.
The EDQM supplies chemical reference substances (CRS), herbal reference standards (HRS) and biological reference preparations (BRP) as well as reference spectra for the tests and assays to be carried out in accordance with the official methods prescribed in the European Pharmacopoeia.
- Legally binding in 39 European countries and applied in more than 120 countries worldwide.
- Delivers crucial information for European markets earlier than any other pharmacopoeia.
- The only pharmacopoeial source to verify compliance with the legal requirements in the European Pharmacopoeia.
- More than 3000 RSs (chemicals, biologicals and herbals) used in more than 120 countries.
- Quality and scientific excellence in establishing pharmacopoeial RSs.
- Developed through the technical expertise of the EDQM: ISO 9001 certified and ISO 17025 accredited.