The French President announced a reform of ATU (temporary authorization for use) of drugs, by January 1, with the aim of reducing the prescription periods for certain treatments, as repeated by BFM TV.
Before drugs appear in the pharmacy, they are developed, tested and subject to marketing authorization, or marketing authorization. It is the classic route which follows a validation by the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) after conclusive clinical trials. If the medicine has unexpected effects or turns out to be harmful, for example during pregnancy, MA can be suspended. This was recently the case with an anticancer drug, Ifosfamide, which causes brain diseases.
Reduced deadlines
But this MA procedure takes a lot of time … So to speed up, there is an alternative route, a kind of shortcuts, called ATU (temporary authorization of use). This happens before MAID, and allows patients who have no other available treatment to have recourse, while waiting for the marketing authorization to be issued at the end of the trials.
As part of the coronavirus crisis, drugs, treatments and vaccines are being tested every day. And in order to be able to administer them, without waiting for the entire AMM process, the president has just announced a reform of ATUs. From January 1, the deadlines for accessing the ATU will be considerably reduced, he promised..
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