Newsroom - Organs, tissues and cells
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...
European Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation 2022 – Become an “influencer for life” and share what’s most precious
In recent years, great strides have been made in the field of organ, tissue and cell transplantation and human application, making it one of the great medical success stories of modern times. Transplantation is in many cases the only viable treatment for reclaiming essential functions and...
EDQM publishes booklet on human tissue donation
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has published a booklet on the important matter of human tissue donation. It provides clear, accurate and balanced information to help readers make informed, responsible decisions on tissue donation, in accordance with...
Council of Europe takes steps to support self-sufficiency in tissues and cells for human application and facilitate sharing of knowledge in this field
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a recommendation encouraging member states to harmonise the collection of data on the availability and use of tissues and cells according to a predefined set of parameters and definitions. This text aims to support self-sufficiency...
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...
Newsletter Transplant 2021 now available
The 2021 edition of the Newsletter Transplant has just been published. It summarises comprehensive information and data for 2020 from 82 countries worldwide on donation and transplantation activities, management of waiting lists, organ donation refusals and authorised centres for transplantation...
EDQM fertility preservation guide now available
Personal choices regarding parenthood can be affected by disease and other life events that might have an impact on a person’s fertility. Making informed decisions in this highly personal area is of great importance to the health and well-being of individuals everywhere. The European Directorate...
The Council of Europe appoints future EDQM Director
The Council of Europe has appointed Petra Dörr, PhD, as future Director of the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM). She will take over the function from the current Director, Susanne Keitel, in October 2021. Petra Dörr comes to the EDQM with more than 25 years of...