Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to main navigation

EMA: Report on Nitrosamine Impurities

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Coordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralised Procedures – Human (CMDh) have jointly published a comprehensive report on nitrosamine impurities in human medicines, summarising key regulatory and scientific developments since their discovery in 2018.

Initially detected in certain blood pressure medicines (sartans), nitrosamine impurities have since raised significant safety and quality concerns across multiple drug classes. The newly released report outlines the European medicines regulatory network’s response to this issue and sets the course for future regulatory action.

Key Highlights from the Report:

  • Scientific Reviews: The report reflects on milestone evaluations, including Article 31 reviews of sartans and ranitidine, and the Article 5(3) review of all human medicines under Regulation (EC) No 726/2004.
  • Regulatory Framework: It describes the evolving regulatory strategies to detect, assess, and control nitrosamine impurities.
  • Scientific Progress: Advances in the understanding of nitrosamines’ quality and safety profiles are presented.
  • International Collaboration: EMA and CMDh emphasise their harmonised EU approach and ongoing cooperation with global partners, industry stakeholders, and healthcare professionals

Source:

EMA: Nitrosamine impurities in human medicines - Report


Meet the GMP Compliance Adviser

The GMP Compliance Adviser is the world's largest knowledge portal for quality management in the pharma business. 

The demo access is non-binding and ends automatically.

Test it now for free

You may also be interested in the following articles:

Outsourced Activities in the GDP Environment Part II: Contractual Agreements

Outsourced Activities in the GDP Environment Part II: Contractual Agreements

When outsourcing GDP activities, there is a need for concrete delimitation of responsibilities between a client and a contractor. Read more about the goals and the contents of a quality agreement in the following excerpt from GMP:KnowHow Pharmalogistics (GDP).

Read more
Question of the Week | GMP-Verlag

What are the Benefits and Limitations of Passive Temperature-Controlled Containers for Drug Transport?

Here's the answer:
Read more
FDA: Adjustment of Nitrosamine Limits for Short-Term Use Medicines

FDA: Adjustment of Nitrosamine Limits for Short-Term Use Medicines

The FDA has updated its recommendations on Acceptable Intake (AI) limits for nitrosamine impurities. Under certain conditions, the Agency now accepts a Less-Than-Lifetime (LTL) adjustment of AI limits for medicinal products that are not intended for lifetime use. This also represents an alignment with the LTL concept of ICH M7(R2).
Read more
Swissmedic: SMS Registration Becomes Prerequisite for GMP Certificates

Swissmedic: SMS Registration Becomes Prerequisite for GMP Certificates

As of 15 November 2026, active substances must be registered in the EMA's Substance Management Services (SMS) database before Swissmedic can include them in establishment licences and GMP certificates for active substance manufacturers. The new requirement results from modifications to the EudraGMDP database.
Read more
News: EMA

EMA: New Q&As for Biological Medicinal Products

The EMA has added a new section to its Q&As on biological medicinal products addressing medicinal products containing secretomes or extracellular vesicles (EVs) obtained from human or animal cells.
Read more
News: Europe

EU: Council Adopts the Pharmaceutical Package

On 28 September 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted the EU pharmaceutical package, marking another important step in the legislative process for the comprehensive reform of EU pharmaceutical legislation.
Read more
Previous
Next