Guido Rasi Enjoys Surprise Reincarnation at EMA
Rasi was forced to step down in November 2014 by the EU Civil Service Tribunal after a panel of experts found the European Commission (EC) had used improper procedures when it had selected him back in 2011.
In a remarkable turnaround, the management board of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has nominated Prof. Guido Rasi as the agency’s new executive director, less than 12 months after he had to leave the job.
On October 13, Rasi is expected to make a statement to the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment. The appointment of the new executive director is likely to be made after this session.
Rasi was forced to step down in November 2014 by the EU Civil Service Tribunal after a panel of experts found the European Commission (EC) had used improper procedures when it had selected him back in 2011.
Emil Hristov, who was formerly a member of the Bulgarian Drug Agency and EMA board, submitted the case against Rasi. It was found that the EC had improperly put together a short list of candidates for the position of EMA executive director, following the departure of former leader Thomas Lönngren in 2010.
Following Rasi’s nomination, the chair of the management board, Prof. Sir Kent Woods said the decision of the management board is the result of a robust recruitment process over the last months. “We look forward to Professor Rasi resuming his leadership of the Agency,” Woods pointed out.
Deputy Executive Director Andreas Pott will continue to lead EMA operations and to legally represent the agency until the new executive director has officially taken up his duties.
“I am honored to have been nominated as EMA’s Executive Director and am grateful for the opportunity to continue our efforts to make the Agency fit for the challenges ahead. I am enormously proud of the Agency and its network,” noted Rasi in a statement. “Looking to the future, we must continue to meet patients’ legitimate expectations for access to new and safe therapeutic options. This requires that the medicines authorization process not only supports the early stages of research and development, but also strives to make the best possible use of real world data throughout a medicine’s lifecycle.”
Unifying Industry to Better Understand GCP Guidance
May 7th 2025In this episode of the Applied Clinical Trials Podcast, David Nickerson, head of clinical quality management at EMD Serono; and Arlene Lee, director of product management, data quality & risk management solutions at Medidata, discuss the newest ICH E6(R3) GCP guidelines as well as how TransCelerate and ACRO have partnered to help stakeholders better acclimate to these guidelines.
Putting Collective Insights Into Action to Advance Cancer Care: Key Examples From ASCO 2025
June 27th 2025At ASCO 2025, clinical operations leaders gained critical insights into how AI tools, bispecific antibodies, and evolving treatment paradigms are reshaping trial design, endpoint selection, and patient stratification.
Funding Cuts Threaten Diversity in Clinical Research
June 27th 2025In this video interview, Kyle McAllister, co-founder, CEO, Trially, discusses how recent federal funding cuts are likely to undermine research focused on underrepresented populations, and why long-term investment in community-based studies is essential to closing persistent health equity gaps.
Pfizer Reports Strong Phase III Results for Hympavzi in Hemophilia Patients with Inhibitors
June 26th 2025The Phase III BASIS trial found that once-weekly subcutaneous Hympavzi reduced treated bleed rates by 93% in patients with hemophilia A or B with inhibitors, offering a promising new prophylactic option for a population with limited therapeutic choices.
