The Medical Products Agency (MPA; ) is the

government agency in Sweden The government agencies in Sweden are state-controlled organizations that act independently to carry out the policies of the Government of Sweden. The ministries are relatively small and merely policy-making organizations, allowed to monitor the ...

responsible for regulation and surveillance of the development, manufacturing and sale of medicinal

drug A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via insufflation (medicine), inhalation, drug i ...

medical device A medical device is any device intended to be used for medical purposes. Significant potential for hazards are inherent when using a device for medical purposes and thus medical devices must be proved safe and effective with reasonable assura ...

s and

cosmetics Cosmetics are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either Natural product, natural source ...

. Its task is also to ensure that both

patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by Health professional, healthcare professionals. The patient is most often Disease, ill or Major trauma, injured and in need of therapy, treatment by a physician, nurse, op ...

s and

healthcare professional A health professional, healthcare professional (HCP), or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated as HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physi ...

s have access to safe and effective medicinal products and that these are used in a rational and cost-effective manner. The Swedish Medical Products Agency is one of the leading

regulatory Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...

authorities in the EU. During the last five years, the Swedish MPA has been among the top three agencies in Europe, counting the number of approvals processes managed for central (i.e. European) approvals of medicines. The Swedish MPA also has strong representation in more than 110 working groups and committees in the scope of the

Heads of Medicines Agencies The Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) is a network of both the human and veterinary medicines agencies of the European Economic Area. The HMA co-operates with the European Medicines Agency and the European Commission (Directorate-General for He ...

(HMA) and European Medicines Agency (

EMA Ema or EMA may refer to: Biology and medicine * Anti-Endomysial Antibodies test * Epithelial membrane antigen * European Medicines Agency, a European Union agency for the evaluation of medicinal products * European Medical Association, associa ...

) for regulation of medical products in Europe. The Medical Products Agency is a government body under the aegis of the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. Its operations are largely financed through fees. Approximately 750 people work at the agency; most are

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

s and

doctors Doctor, Doctors, The Doctor or The Doctors may refer to: Titles and occupations * Physician, a medical practitioner * Doctor (title), an academic title for the holder of a doctoral-level degree ** Doctorate ** List of doctoral degrees awarded b ...

General directors

* 1990–1999: Kjell Strandberg * 1999–2008: Gunnar Alván * 2008–2014: Christina Rångemark Åkerman * 2014–2020: Catarina Andersson Forsman * 2020–2021: Joakim Brandberg (acting) * 2021–2024: Björn Eriksson * 2024–2025: Joakim Brandberg (acting) * 2025–: Ann Lindberg

Critics

In 2016, the

Swedish National Audit Office The Swedish National Audit Office () is the agency responsible for oversight of the state finances through financial and performance audits of state agencies, state-owned companies and the Government of Sweden. It serves directly under the Riksd ...

published an audit report examining how the state (the government, the Medical Products Agency, the National Board of Health and Welfare and the Swedish Agency for Medical and Social Evaluation) handles the pharmaceutical industry's influence over state drug control and knowledge management. In its review, the National Audit Office sharply criticizes the Medical Products Agency for shortcomings on several points. However, the Medical Products Agency has pointed out that several of the conclusions were based on claims that lack objective support. The government also rejected large parts of the National Audit Office's criticism.

References

External links

The Swedish Medical Products Agency, MPA

The Innovation Office at the MPA
National agencies for drug regulation Government agencies of Sweden Medical and health organizations based in Sweden {{Sweden-org-stub

General directors

Critics

See also

References

External links