The marketing authorisation is renewable on application by the holder to the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products no later than nine months before its expiry date.
The application for renewal is accompanied by a consolidated version of the dossier containing administrative information and data relating to the quality, safety and efficacy of the medicinal product, including an assessment of the data contained in the reports of suspected adverse reactions and in the periodic safety update reports, as well as any authorised variations since the initial authorisation or the previous renewal. The content of the dossier is laid down by order of the Minister for Health issued on a proposal from the Director General of the Agency.
The authorisation is not renewed if the benefit/risk balance of the medicinal product as defined in the first paragraph of article L. 5121-9, as assessed by the Director General of the Agency, is no longer favourable.
If no decision is notified or if no request for additional justification is sent to the applicant by the date on which the marketing authorisation expires, the authorisation is considered to have been renewed on that date.
If a request for additional justification or a draft refusal to renew is sent to the applicant before the date of expiry of the marketing authorisation, the authorisation is extended until notification of the Agency’s decision.
Once renewed, the marketing authorisation is issued for an unlimited period. However, at the time of renewal, the Agency may decide, in particular for reasons relating to pharmacovigilance, including exposure of an insufficient number of patients to the medicinal product or product concerned, that this authorisation should be renewed every five years. The marketing authorisation is then renewed for a period of five years. At the end of this period, the marketing authorisation holder applies for renewal of the marketing authorisation under the conditions laid down in this article.