On 1 July 2014, the Irish Medicines Board (IMB) will change its name to the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA).
We wish to give all our stakeholders advance notice so that you are aware of this change when you visit our website from 1 July and start to see documents and other materials displaying our new name and logo from that date forward. It may also be necessary for some organisations to update internal systems and records.
Established in 1996, the IMB name has served us well. However, over the last 18 years our regulatory remit has expanded to include other health products as well as a number of health related functions. In addition to human and veterinary medicines, we now have a role in regulating a range of areas including:
- Medical devices
- Controlled drugs
- Clinical trials
- Blood products and components
- Tissues and cells
- Cosmetic products
- The protection of animals used for scientific purposes
- Organs intended for transplantation
Our new name now more clearly reflects the wider scope of our work, functions and responsibilities across the health products sector. At the same time, it is intended to build on the IMB’s established reputation as a professional, progressive and science driven public sector organisation.
While our name is changing, the mission of the HPRA will be the same: To protect and enhance public and animal health through the regulation of medicines, medical devices and other health products.
E-mail Addresses
Our email addresses will change from @imb.ie to @hpra.ie on 1 July. However, the IMB versions will continue to work as normal for a transitional period thereafter.
Website Subscribers
As we launch our new website, it will be necessary to make changes to our e-mail alerting system. We will contact all our subscribers in advance of 1 July to explain these changes.