Emer Cooke, Head of the European Medicines Agency explains its role in assessing and authorising COVID19 vaccines, and Dick asks why should we trust the EMA to ensure that all the vaccines we receive are safe and reliable?

COVID19 vaccines can only become available to us here in Ireland once they are authorised by the European Commission following evaluation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).  In this episode, host Dick Ahlstrom talks to Emer Cooke, an Irish pharmacist who took on the role of Executive Director of the EMA in November 2020. She explains the role of the EMA and the steps they take in evaluating vaccines to ensure they are safe and effective and that the information they base that assessment on is robust and reliable. She also describes what the EMA does to be transparent and engage with the public, and she shares her perspective on the benefits of vaccines.

Trust and reliability with Emer Cooke

The Royal Irish Academy/Acadamh Ríoga na hEireann is an all-Ireland, independent, academic body that promotes study and excellence in the sciences, humanities and social sciences. It is the principal learned society in Ireland and has over 420 members who are elected in recognition of their academic achievements.

The Royal Irish Academy, the academy for the sciences and humanities for the whole of Ireland will vigorously promote excellence in scholarship, recognise achievements in learning, direct research programmes and undertake its own research projects, particularly in areas relating to Ireland and its heritage.