EMA is preparing a question-and-answer guidance document on the impact of EU data protection legislation on the secondary use of health data in support of the development, evaluation and supervision of medicines.
The aim is to help medicine developers, data providers and research bodies comply with EU data protection rules, and to help patients and consumers understand their rights and the existing safeguards to protect personal data.
Secondary use of data refers to the use of data for a different purpose than the one for which it was originally collected. It typically involves the use of electronic health records, health insurance claims data, registry data or drug consumption data for medicines research and public health purposes.
The guidance will cover various operational scenarios, including the development of medicines, the evaluation of marketing authorisation applications and post-authorisation safety monitoring.
As a first step, EMA will gather input from patients and consumers as data contributors as well as from medicines developers, research-performing and research-supporting infrastructures and other data providers (e.g. payers of healthcare) in the second quarter of 2020.
Based on the input received, EMA will draft the guidance in consultation with the European Commission and the European Data Protection Supervisor.
The Agency will launch a targeted stakeholder consultation on the draft guidance in the fourth quarter of 2020. It aims to publish the finalised guidance in the first half of 2021.
Ensuring that personal data are managed and analysed within a secure and ethical governance framework in compliance with EU data protection legislation is one of the recommended priorities of the HMA/EMA Task Force on Big Data.