News in brief
A pan-European network of 55 medical specialists has been launched to combat the growing resistance of viruses to antiviral drugs. The Vigilance against Viral Resistance (VIRGIL) project has been given Euro 9m by the European Commission and will start by examining resistance to treatments for viral hepatitis and influenza. Experts from 12 countries will monitor,test and improve the management of antiviral drug resistance, while investigating patient-related immune or genetic factors. (see link 1)
The Council of Europe's committee of ministers has adopted the 'first international text harmonising ethical and legal standards in biomedical research'. It sets standards concerning acceptable risks for research participants, and defines researchers'duty of care.
The European Commission's ad hoc GMP inspections services group has proposed changes to the EU's pharmaceuticals good manufacturing guide regarding reference samples and retention samples, see link 2.
Also, the Commission has published guidelines on the filing of plasma master files and vaccine antigen master files by marketing approval applicants and holders, link 3.
A new EU-funded research project will uncover genetic factors linked to depression, helping to develop new drug treatments over the next five years. The NEWMOOD project has received Euro 7.2m in EU funding. Coordinated by Manchester University, it involves 13 labs in Estonia, France,Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia and Spain. Link 4