1° In the interests of patients or for any other public health reason and, where appropriate, at the request of the Minister for Health, the Director General of the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé may, by a reasoned decision setting out the appeal procedures and time limits, vary the marketing authorisation where it is necessary to update it in the light of scientific knowledge.
Except in urgent cases, the marketing authorisation holder must be given the opportunity to present its observations before the decision to amend is taken.
2° The marketing authorisation is also varied by the Director General of the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé when it appears necessary to bring it into line with a decision of the European Commission referred to it under Articles 30, 31 and 36 of Directive 2001/83/EC of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use. The decision of the Director General of the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé is taken within thirty days of notification of the European Commission’s decision. It is immediately communicated to the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency.