25 June 2020 - Deborah Wilkes
Emer Cooke is set to be the new executive director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The EMA’s Management Board selected Cooke from a shortlist of candidates created by the European Commission.
An Irish national, Cooke works for the World Health Organization (WHO) as director of the Regulation and Prequalification Department. She leads the WHO’s global work on health technologies regulation, including prequalification, strengthening of regulatory systems, and safety activities.
Before moving to the WHO in November 2016, Cooke was head of international affairs at the EMA. Prior to joining the EMA in 2002, she worked for the Pharmaceutical Unit of the European Commission.
Cooke will now be invited to give a statement to the European Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) on 13 July 2020. Her appointment will be confirmed after the meeting.
She will take over from Guido Rasi who has served two terms.