medicines evaluation board
Responsibility for assessing, authorising and for monitoring the
safety of human medicinal products lies with a Board consisting of
doctors, pharmacists and scientists. This Medicines Evaluation
Board (MEB) has autonomous powers to take decisions on the
availability of these medicinal products. The MEB is responsible
for authorising and monitoring safe and effective medicinal
products on the Dutch market and shares responsibility for
authorising medicinal products throughout the European Union.
Board membership
The MEB consists of a chairman and at least nine to a
maximum of seventeen other members (doctors, pharmacists and
scientists). The chairman and members are appointed by the Minister
for Health, Welfare and Sport.
The chairman and members are appointed for a four-year term and can
be reappointed for a further four years. The MEB’s operating
modalities and responsibilities are laid down in the Dutch
Medicines Act (Geneesmiddelenwet).
MEB Agency
The members of the Board are supported in their work by the
over 220 employees of the MEB Agency. As part of the Ministry
of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Agency is responsible for
preparing and implementing the MEB’s decisions and for coordinating
pharmacovigilance in the Netherlands.
The Agency also performs assessments of veterinary medicines via
the Veterinary Medicines Unit and the evaluation of novel foods via
the Novel Foods Unit. However, the Board is not responsible for
decisions and authorisation regarding veterinary medicinal products
and novel foods.
The Veterinary Medicines Unit prepares the decisions for the
Veterinary Medicinal Products Authorisation Committee. This
Committee advises the Minister for Agriculture, Nature and Food
Quality and the Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport, who are
responsible for policy and share the political responsibility.
In the Netherlands, the competent authority for assessing Novel
Foods is the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The Ministry
then asks the Novel Foods Unit of the MEB Agency to conduct a
scientific assessment of the product to determine consumer
safety.
MEB meetings
You can find agendas and minutes of MEB meetings on the
News page in the Human Medicines section.
For more information about a particular MEB member, please click on
the name. This will give you more details about the particular
member along with a short CV and declaration of interests.
Secretaries
Drs. A.A.W. Kalis (first secretary)
Mrs. drs. A.G. Kruger-Peters (undersecretary)
Drs. F.W. Weijers (undersecretary)
Drs. A.H.P. van Gompel (undersecretary)
Drs. D.S. Slijkerman (undersecretary)
Mrs. drs. K.H. Doorduyn-van der Stoep (vice-secretary)
Mrs. drs. G.M. Janse-de Hoog (vice-secretary)
Drs. E. van Galen (vice-secretary)
Drs. I.M. Mulder-van Dam (vice-secretary)
Drs. W.J. van Brussel (vice-secretary)
Drs. I.A.M.J. Leentjes (vice-secretary)
Ir. H. Stevenson (vice-secretary)
Drs. S.H. Ebbinge (vice-secretary)
Dr. A.H.G.J. Schrijvers (vice-secretary)
Drs. P.M. Prent (vice-secretary)
Drs. W.H. Woldring (vice-secretary)
Drs. E. Hergarden (vice-secretary)
Drs. C.J. Jonker (vice-secretary)
Dr. M.E.M.J. van Kuijk-Meuwissen (vice-secretary)
Drs. J. Kampmeijer (vice-secretary)
Prof. H.G.M. Leufkens
chair
Bert Leufkens is a pharmacist, epidemiologist and professor of
pharmacoepidemiology. In addition to chairing the Medicines
Evaluation Board (MEB), he is also affiliated to the Pharmaceutical
Sciences department of the Faculty of Science of Utrecht
University.
More about Prof. H.G.M. Leufkens »
Prof. J.T. van Dissel
deputy chair
Jaap van Dissel has been a member of the MEB since 2000. He is
a professor of internal medicine, specifically of Infectious
Diseases at Leiden University Medical Center. He is also a core
member (vice-chair) of the EMA’s Therapeutic Advisory Group
Anti-Infectives in London.
More about Prof. J.T. van Dissel »
Dr A.A.M. Franken
Anton Franken has been a member of the MEB since 2005. He is
an internal medicine specialist and endocrinologist at the Isala
clinics in Zwolle. He is also a core member of the Scientific
Advisory Group Endocrinology and Diabetes of the EMA.
More about Dr A.A.M. Franken »
Prof. Y.A. Hekster
Yechiel Hekster has been a member of the MEB since 1992, where
he is also chairman of the expert group on practices. He is
Professor Emeritus of Clinical Pharmacy at the St. Radboud
University Medical Centre in Nijmegen.
More about Prof. Y.A. Hekster »
Prof. A.W. Hoes
Arno Hoes has been a member of the MEB since 1998. He is
Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and General Practice Medicine
(UMC Utrecht / Utrecht University) and chairman and research
manager of the Julius Centre for Health Sciences and Primary
Medicine at UMC Utrecht.
More about Prof. A.W. Hoes »
Dr P.A.F. Jansen
Paul Jansen has been a member of the MEB since 2006. He is a
member of the Department of Geriatrics at UMC Utrecht and chairman
of the core team of the Expertise Centre for Pharmacotherapy in the
Elderly (Ephor).
More about Dr P.A.F. Jansen »
Prof. J.M.W. Hazes
Mieke Hazes is a rheumatologist and clinical epidemiologist. She is
employed as Professor of Rheumatology at the Erasmus Medical Centre
in Rotterdam.
More about Prof. J.M.W. Hazes »
Prof. G.J. Mulder
Gerard Mulder has been a member of the MEB since 1997. He is
the chairman of the WGD Committee (Occupational Risk Assessment) of
the Health Council of the Netherlands. He is also a member of the
Supervisory Board of the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health
and the Environment) in Bilthoven.
More about Prof. G.J. Mulder »
Prof. C. Neef
Chair of the MEB Research Committee
Kees Neef has been a member of the MEB since 1995. He is the
head of the Clinical Pharmacy and Toxicology Department at
Maastricht University Medical Centre and professor of Clinical
Pharmacy at Maastricht University.
More about Prof. C. Neef »
Dr C.F.H. Rosmalen
Karel Rosmalen has been a member of the MEB since 1997. He is
a GP. He is also employed as the head of the Policy and Development
department of the National General Practitioners' Association
(LHV).
More about Dr C.F.H. Rosmalen »
Prof. J.H.M. Schellens
Jan Schellens has been a member of the MEB since 1999. He is
an internal medicine specialist at the Netherlands Cancer
Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam. He is also
Professor of Clinical Pharmacology (Faculty of Science,
Pharmaceutical Science Department, Pharmacoepidemiology and
Clinical Pharmacology Section) at Utrecht University.
More about Prof. J.H.M. Schellens »
Prof. A.F.A.M. Schobben
Fred Schobben has been a member of the MEB since 1988. He is
Professor of Clinical Pharmacotherapy at the Pharmaceutical
Sciences Department of the Faculty of Science of Utrecht
University. He also holds a small part-time position as hospital
pharmacist/clinical pharmacologist at the University Medical Centre
in Utrecht.
More about Prof. A.F.A.M. Schobben »
Prof. P. Smits
Paul Smits has been a member of the MEB since 2005. He is an
internal medicine specialist focusing on clinical pharmacology at
the St. Radboud University Medical Centre in Nijmegen.
More about Prof. P. Smits »
Dr J.A.J.M. Taminiau
Jan Taminiau has been a member of the MEB since 2005. He is a
paediatrician at the Emma Children’s Hospital/Academic Medical
Centre.
More about Dr J.A.J.M. Taminiau »
Dr B.J. van Zwieten-Boot
deputy chair
Barbara van Zwieten-Boot is a biochemist who was trained as a
pharmacologist with Prof. E.L. Noach at Leiden University. She is a
member of the CHMP for the Netherlands and has been a member of the
Medicines Evaluation Board since June 2010.
More about Dr B.J. van Zwieten-Boot »
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