RAPS Seeks to Raise its Profile in Europe

The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) is seeking to increase its presence in Europe and expanding its European team.
 
In the last year, the society’s European membership base has grown by approximately 19% to more than 1,500 people in 29 countries. It now plans to spend more than 2 million euros over the next three years by launching new events and resources to serve the needs of regulatory professionals in the region.
 
“Europe has a vibrant and progressive healthcare products community and many of our existing regulatory professionals are working here, so increasing our investment in Europe was a natural next step for RAPS,” said RAPS executive director Paul Brooks. “Healthcare is a global business, and with more than 15,000 members in over 80 countries, we are well aware of the challenges regulatory professionals face worldwide. Our own research has shown that in Europe more than 65% of professionals in the healthcare product industries have multi-regional or worldwide responsibilities.”

RAPS plans “a substantial increase” in European staff, plus a series of new events, including a RAPS Roadshow (“Examining the New European Medical Device Regulations”) on May 4 in Munich and a workshop (“EU Regulatory Essentials, Medical Device and In Vitro Diagnostics: Transitioning from Current Directives to New Regulations”) on July 4-5 in Brussels.
 
Brooks continued: “In highly regulated environments such as the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, there is a greater need than ever for regulatory professionals to stay up to date on the latest regulatory developments. In particular, changes to medical device regulations in Europe present a huge challenge to manufacturers and should be high on the industry’s agenda as we move towards the 2020 deadline.”

Also, in May RAPS will host a four-part virtual program called “Understanding the New EU Medical Device and IVD Regulations.” It has produced an interactive guide to the new EU Medical Device and IVD Regulations.
 
Additionally, the society is looking to increase awareness of its Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC). The RAC is the only professional certification specifically for those in the healthcare product regulatory field, testing knowledge and critical thinking relating to the international practice of regulatory affairs, according to the organization. Four RAC credentials are available, including one focused on European regulations. Currently, more than 4,000 individuals worldwide are RAC-credentialed, it added.

Philip Ward is the European Editor for Applied Clinical Trials