Newsroom - Organs, tissues and cells
Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation – EDQM releases 9th edition
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe is proud to announce the release of the 9th edition of the Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation (Organ Guide). This comprehensive guide remains an essential resource for...
Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)8 on the family approach to discuss deceased organ and tissue donation
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)8 on the family approach to discuss deceased organ and tissue donation on 27 November 2024. This instrument promotes a family-centred approach to discussing organ and tissue donation after a person’s death....
Newsletter Transplant 2024 – Organ donation increases globally
A new edition of Newsletter Transplant has just been published, presenting data on donation and transplantation activities worldwide in 2023. This report is produced annually thanks to the invaluable support of the Spanish Organización Nacional de Trasplantes (ONT), which co-ordinates the...
European Donation Day 2024: a celebration of life and giving
Created almost 30 years ago, European Donation Day (EDD) – the European Day for Organ, Tissue and Cell Donation – is a powerful initiative aimed at raising awareness of the life-saving potential of organ, tissue and cell donation, driven by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines &...
Making a significant difference – 2023 EDQM annual report published in new engaging digital format
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe has published its 2023 annual report. For the first time, the report is completely digital, with a new, intuitive design and interactive features, facilitating your discovery journey and making it...
NEW 4th Training Course on Quality Management for Tissue Establishments
A robust quality management system (QMS) is key to ensuring the efficacy, quality and safety of tissues and cells for human application. Tissue establishments (TEs) need to implement a QMS to ensure that tissues and cells for human application comply with the applicable technical and legal...
EDQM welcomes EU Parliament and Council’s political agreement on enhanced safety and quality for substances of human origin
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe welcomes the recent provisional agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (EU) on the draft regulation on blood, tissues and cells. This marks a pivotal...
EDQM launches updated version of the EuroGTP II tool to ensure good tissue and cell practices for human application
To help ensure quality and safety in the field of substances of human origin (SoHO), the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has been entrusted with managing the EuroGTP II tool for good tissue and cell practices. Starting on 15 November 2023, this interactive...
Corneal transplants – EDQM publishes new information booklet
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has just published an information booklet on corneal transplants. It explains what a corneal transplant is, who may be concerned and provides expert information on the different implantation procedures and techniques, along...
Newsletter Transplant 2023 – Informing the future of transplantation
A new edition of Newsletter Transplant has just been published, presenting data on donation and transplantation activities worldwide in 2022. This year’s report covers a record 86 countries. It is produced annually thanks to the invaluable support of the Spanish Organización Nacional de...
European Donation Day 2023 – Your present is their future
Organ transplantation and the human application of tissues and cells save more and more lives every year and help thousands of patients recover vital functions and lead better lives. But the number of people in need of transplantable organs, tissues and cells continues to grow at an even greater...
2022 Highlights – EDQM annual report now available
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has published its 2022 annual report, providing a comprehensive overview of its activities and achievements, and putting select data on the present state of EDQM/Council of Europe public health initiatives at your...
MIRCA: An EDQM tool to enhance safe use of substances of human origin
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) recently unveiled the Microbiological Risk of Contamination Assessment tool (dubbed “MiRCA”), which aims to improve the safety and efficacy of substances of human origin (SoHO) used for therapeutic purposes. The MiRCA tool,...
EDQM releases new edition of the Tissue and Cells Guide, providing state-of-the-art guidance for healthcare professionals
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has just published the 5th edition of the Guide to the quality and safety of tissues and cells for human application. The updated guide provides a comprehensive overview of the most recent advances in the field, as well as...
The Council of Europe/EDQM and the European Union conclude an agreement expanding the scope of their co-operation in the field of substances of human origin
The Council of Europe/European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) and the European Union (EU), through the European Commission, have concluded a new contribution agreement, with equal financing, which will run until 2024. This agreement further enhances their already...
Newsletter Transplant 2022 shows a global increase in donation and transplantation figures, lessons learnt from COVID-19 pandemic
The latest edition of the Newsletter Transplant – the international reference in monitoring practice in donation and transplantation of substances of human origin – has just been published. It provides comprehensive information and data on donation and transplantation activities in 2021 from 79...
Draft legislative proposal for a new EU Regulation on Blood, Tissues and Cells
On 14 July 2022, the European Union (EU) Commission issued its draft legislative proposal for a new EU Regulation on Blood, Tissues and Cells (BTC), in which the EU Commission proposes to leverage on the technical standards and proven expertise of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and...
EDQM publishes 8th edition of the Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has just published the 8th edition of the Guide to the quality and safety of organs for transplantation. The updated guide provides practical guidance to all professionals in the field, as well as technical guidance to...
Council of Europe adopts recommendation on developing and optimising programmes for the donation of organs after the circulatory determination of death
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2022)3 on the development and optimisation of programmes for the donation of organs after the circulatory determination of death in February 2022. Each year thousands of patients die or endure poor quality of life...
EDQM helping increase tissue donation thanks to a better understanding of post-mortem blood testing practices
Tissue from one deceased donor may be transplanted into as many as 100 individuals, improving their quality of life and even saving their lives (e.g. in the treatment of catastrophic burns). However, the use of tissues of human origin can result in unintentional transmission of disease. Such...