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Irish woman Lorraine Nolan appointed head of EU's drug agency
Lorraine Nolan has been appointed to the high-profile role as head of the EU's drug agency.
She was appointed executive director of the European Union Drugs Agency after receiving a two-thirds majority in a secret ballot, holding off competition from two other candidates.
Since 2016, Ms Nolan has been the chief executive of Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority, the agency in charge of regulating medicines, medical devices, and similar products.
She is a former chair of the management board of the European Medicines Agency, and has been lead support to Irish ministers for health in drug policy development.
She holds a PhD in pharmaceutical chemistry from Trinity, and has also worked as a forensic scientist for the Department of Justice.
Ms Nolan will take the role at the beginning of next year.
Based in Lisbon, Portugal, the EU's Drugs Agency aims to support bloc-wide policymaking by providing evidence-based information on drugs, drug addiction, and their consequences.
Last week, for example, it warned that Europe is facing an emerging threat from synthetic drugs — including artificial substances that mimic cannabis, heroin, and stimulants.
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