In 2024, EMA recommended 114 medicines for marketing authorisation. Of these, 46 had a new active substance which had never been authorised in the European Union (EU) before. Among these are a number of medicines that stand out due to their contribution to address public health needs or the innovation they represent. The Agency recommended the first medicine to treat early Alzheimer’s disease, the first needle-free and smaller form of adrenaline to treat allergic reactions, the first treatment for tumours associated with von Hippel-Lindau disease, and two new antibiotic medicines for the treatment of certain severe infections.

EMA also recommended several new vaccines, including one to protect against Chikungunya disease and a new mRNA vaccine against lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and extended the use of an mpox vaccine to protect adolescents from 12 to 17 years of age.

As in previous years, cancer was the strongest therapeutic area,…