{{Short description|Irish pharmacist and director of European Medicines Agency}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}} {{Use Irish English|date=March 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Emer Cooke | image = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|04|09}} | predecessor = Guido Rasi | office = Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency | term_start = 16 November 2020 | alma_mater = Trinity College Dublin }} '''Emer Cooke''' is an Irish pharmacist and Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) since November 2020.<ref name="EU1">{{cite web |url=https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/emer-cooke-takes-office-head-ema |title=Emer Cooke takes office as head of EMA |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref> She is also the chairperson at the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA).<ref name="ICMRA1">{{cite web |url=http://www.icmra.info/drupal/aboutus/icmra_chair |title=ICMRA Chair |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref>
== Education == Cooke obtained a pharmacy degree at Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland in 1982, following which she remained at Trinity to complete Master's degrees in Science and in Business Administration <ref name="WHO1">{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/blueprint/about/emer-cook/en/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200628165718/https://www.who.int/blueprint/about/emer-cook/en/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 June 2020 | title=Emer Cooke |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref>
== Career == Starting in 1985, she held various positions in the pharmaceutical sector.<ref name="EMAaboutCooke"/> From 1992 to 1995 and from 1996 to 1998 she worked for the lobbying organisation European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA){{efn|The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) is a trade association and lobbying organisation representing the research-based f industry operating in Europe}} as Manager of Scientific and Regulatory Affairs.<ref name="WHOabout">{{Cite web|url=http://www.who.int/blueprint/about/emer-cook/en/|title=WHO | Emer Cooke|website=WHO|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614103640/http://www.who.int/blueprint/about/emer-cook/en/|archive-date=14 June 2021}}</ref><ref name="EMAaboutCooke">{{cite web|author=EMA|date=6 August 2021|title=Executive Director|url=https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/about-us/who-we-are/executive-director|access-date=17 August 2021|website=European Medicines Agency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806161225/https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/about-us/who-we-are/executive-director|archive-date=6 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/emer-cooke-meet-the-woman-shaping-the-future-of-the-european-medicines-agency/|title=Irishwoman lands EU drugs agency’s top job|date=25 June 2020|website=POLITICO}}</ref> She was Principal Administrator in the Pharmaceuticals Unit of the European Commission between 1998 and 2002, with responsibility for inspections, international activities and legislative initiatives. Ms Cooke joined EMA on 1 July 2002 where she worked first as Head of Inspections and then as Head of International Affairs.<ref name="EMAaboutCooke"/> From 2021 she was appointed as Head of Regulation of Medicines and other Health Technologies with the World Health Organization (WHO).<ref name="WHO1"/>
===EMA executive director=== In November 2020 Cooke was appointed Executive Director of the EMA,<ref name="EU1"/> also taking the position of chairperson at the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) at the same time.<ref name="ICMRA1"/> This was in the context of the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 16 March 2021, Cooke led an EMA press conference to inform about the ongoing investigation into reports of side-effects related to the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Cooke said the EMA remains "firmly convinced" that the vaccine benefits outweigh the risks of potential side effects.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/16/benefits-of-astrazeneca-jab-outweigh-risks-says-eu-regulator|title=AstraZeneca jab: EU regulator 'firmly convinced' benefits outweigh risks |access-date=March 17, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/03/16/astrazeneca-vaccine-european-watchdog-to-give-briefing-on-safety-concerns|title=EMA 'firmly convinced' benefits of AstraZeneca vaccine higher than risks |access-date=March 17, 2021}}</ref>
Cooke's appointment was criticized in a session of the Austrian Parliament on 1 April 2021 when member of parliament Gerald Hauser claimed a potential conflict of interest between her allowing the vaccine in her regulatory function, while having worked for the very same industry as a lobbyist in the past.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20210401_OTS0032/fpoe-hauser-ema-direktorin-hat-ihr-ganzes-arbeitsleben-mit-lobbying-fuer-die-pharmaindustrie-verbracht|title=FPÖ – Hauser: EMA-Direktorin hat ihr ganzes Arbeitsleben mit Lobbying für die Pharmaindustrie verbracht|website=OTS.at}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqH9CoXXYIs|title=Gerald Hauser zeigt Brisantes über die Impfstoffzulassung auf!|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref>
== References == ===Notes=== {{Noteslist}} ===Footnotes=== {{Reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Emer}} Category:1971 births Category:Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Category:Irish lobbyists Category:Living people