Inguna Adoviča: “The operational tasks of the State Agency of Medicines is a marathon, but they require a sprint-like concentration of resources and skills“

Inguna Adoviča: “The operational tasks of the State Agency of Medicines is a marathon, but they require a sprint-like concentration of resources and skills“

On 2 November 2015 was the last day of employment of Inguna Adoviča as the Director of the State Agency of Medicines (SAM). The State Agency of Medicines highly appreciates her professionalism and the honesty of her work and her contribution to ensure that the medicines in Latvia are effective, qualitative and safe, as well as to establish the State Agency of Medicines as an equal to other medicines agencies in Europe.

Inguna Adoviča began working at SAM in 1998 as the Head of the Clinical Trial Inspection Department. She has established and expanded the clinical trials department by structuring and strengthening the field of clinical research in Latvia. In 2002 she became the Deputy Director, and in 2005 – the Director of SAM.

Inguna Adoviča: “It has been a great honour and a great responsibility to be the Director of the State Agency of Medicines for a decade and to continue the work started by Jānis Ozoliņš, the first Director of the Agency. I could say that the operational tasks of the Agency is a marathon, but they require a sprint-like concentration of resources and skills. Since 2004 we have been a Member State of the European Union and this means that we participate in the common work processes and procedures. Thus, we have been not only the witnesses, but also the participants of the development of the regulation of the pharmaceutical field in Europe.”

During the last decade SAM has become a provider of qualitative services and professionally equivalent with the services provided by European medicines agencies and an internationally recognised institution. SAM is a participant in the European Medicines Regulatory Network which includes the European Medicines Agency (EMA), European Commission and national agencies from European Union (EU) Member States and European Economic Area countries that all collaborate in accordance with common standards and procedures. Within the network there are common procedures in the areas of marketing authorisation, safety monitoring, quality control of medicines, licensing and compliance evaluation of pharmaceutical activity companies, registration and supervision of medical devices, there is mutual recognition of decisions and work in common databases. SAM experts have the appropriate qualification and experience to regularly participate in the collective procedures of EMA scientific committees and working groups and to conduct inspections together with experts from other countries.

During this time the State Agency of Medicines has been certified as compliant with the international standards (ISO 9001 and ISO 27001) and has received the Quality Innovation Award of the Quality Association of Finland and Estonia for the interactive map of pharmacies in Latvia developed in 2011. During the last ten years SAM has also promoted and strengthened collaboration with other medicines agencies in the Baltic states.

From 2012 until 2015 Inguna Adoviča has worked in the Management Board of the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) and for ten years she has been a member of the EMA Management Board and a member of HMA. In 2012 I. Adoviča became the Latvian representative in the EMA Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Cichutek, Chairman of HMA Management Group, President of Paul-Ehrlich-Institut: “I fully agree that our positions need professional expertise, independence, absence of any conflicts of interest and absence of political influence. I hope that Inguna Adoviča can finish her job with all the honours that she deserves.”

Viola Macolić Šarinić, Member of HMA Management Group, Director of the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of Croatia: “I admire how I. Adoviča has led the State Agency of Medicines of Latvia all these years – with competency, always in a full professional manner with the care for public health, dedicated to the European Medicines Regulatory Network and being an active member of it.”

Inguna Adoviča is not a pharmacist by education, but in 2013 she became an honorary member of the Pharmacists' Society of Latvia, indicating the recognition of the work performed by SAM.

She has always considered the statehood of Latvia as an independent state, the strategic operation and longterm vision of SAM, the rigorous requirements for marketing authorisation and safety monitoring of medicines, the independence and political neutrality of experts decisions and patient needs as the highest priorities. At the same time her wisdom of life and creative manner can be felt in every task that she performs.

Inguna Adoviča graduated from the Riga Medical Institute and from 1987 until 1992 worked as a doctor at the Pauls Stradinš Republic Clinical Hospital. In addition Inguna Adoviča in 2003 received a Master's Degree of Social Sciences in Public Administration.