The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) is responsible for the scientific evaluation of licensing dossiers with regard to quality, efficacy, and safety (including environmental risk assessments) of new medicinal products in the course of centralised licensing procedures. The CHMP's scientific assessment report is the basis for the European Commission's decision on granting or refusing a central marketing authorisation of a medicinal product for human use.

The CMDh (Coordination Group for Mutual Recognition (MRP) and Decentralised Procedures (DCP)) is an intergovernmental committee that is responsible for the co-ordination of all issues in connection with the licensing and pharmacovigilance of medicinal products that have been or will be granted a national marketing authorisation in more than one Member State of the European Union/the European Economic Area (EEA). Each country of the European Economic Area appoints a scientific delegate to the CMDh who represents the corresponding Member State. The MRI Product Index provides an overview of all medicinal products licensed via MRP and DCP. For further information see CMDh´s website.

In the ICH, experts from industry associations and authorities work together with the aim of eliminating differences regarding the technical requirements for drug development in the three large pharmaceutical markets EU, Japan, and the USA.