Expert of Paul-Ehrlich-Institut has been elected co-opted member of the CHMP at the EMA

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) is the central body for the evaluation of medicinal products for human use. The assessment provided by the CHMP forms the basis for the European Commission's decision in favour of or against the marketing authorisation of a newly developed medicine for the European market. Every member state of the European Union provides a member of the CHMP. The German member is currently seconded from the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte, BfArM). The CHMP can choose additional (co-opted) members to provide additional expertise in particular scientific areas. One of these areas is the quality and safety of biological medicinal products including biotechnology derived medicines, cell therapies, and gene therapies ('advanced therapies'), which constitutes an important part of the special expertise of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI). After the previous CHMP member from the PEI left the CHMP, the committee decided to nominate a new co-opted member for this area. In the October meeting of the CHMP, Müller-Berghaus won the vote against two other candidates. He contributes the expertise of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut in the field of vaccines, plasma-derived and recombinant blood-products, allergens, sera, and antibodies, as well as cell and gene therapeutics.

"Jan Müller-Berghaus' election shows that the EMA and its Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use value the expertise, competency, and commitment of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut and its staff and wish to make use of it in future, too", explained Professor Klaus Cichutek, the President of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut. "Since 1995, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut has been continuously represented on the CHMP, first as regular member, and later as co-opted member. I consider this to be a recognition of our scientists' performance by this and many other bodies. The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut will continue to play a major role in supporting the work of the EMA and that of the network of European Medicines Agencies" continued Cichutek.

"I look forward to contributing, with the help of my colleagues, to the efficacy, safety, and availability of the most modern biological medicinal products throughout Europe. The dialogue with patients' representatives, doctors and developers is extremely important and will be further intensified in future." said Müller-Berghaus "The marketing authorization of new and innovative medicinal products is a crucial component of effective medicine.

Müller-Berghaus studied at the Ruhr-University of Bochum from 1984-1990 and qualified as a 'Specialist physician in paediatrics and adolescent medicine' at the University Hospital of Cologne from 1991-1998. Subsequently, he worked in the USA, including scholarship from the Dr Mildred-Scheel Foundation for Cancer Research. From 2002-2005, Müller-Berghaus was a member of a translational research group at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) involved in the development of immunotherapies against malignant melanoma. In 2005, the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut succeeded in attracting Müller-Berghaus as a staff member of the Immunology Division, where he has been Head of the 'Mono and Polyclonal Antibodies' section since 2007. Müller-Berghaus is already a member of the Scientific Advice Working Party (SAWP) and the Rheumatology / Immunology Working Party (RIWP) of the CHMP.

top