Spoil system at Aifa: Nicola Magrini fired

Nicola Magrini will no longer be the general manager of theAifa. Minister Orazio Schillaci has decided to apply lo spoil system, facendo arrivare una lettera al medico specializzato in farmacologia clinica per comunicargli che arriverà a scadenza il 23 gennaio prossimo per la gestione ordinaria. Al suo posto verrà scelto un nuovo direttore che traghetterà l’Agenzia italiana del farmaco fino a quando la riforma recentemente approvata non sarà pienamente operativa. Magrini era stato nominato direttore generale il 2 marzo 2020. Si sta valutando il nome di un dirigente interno per la fase di transizione, ma alcune voci danno l’attuale presidente dell’Aifa, Giorgio Palù, come possibile unico riferimento apicale per l’Agenzia.

The Director General of the Italian Medicines Agency Nicholas Magrini, received a letter from the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, for the conclusion of his assignment. The spoil system is therefore applied to the institution which has been the focus of great attention in these almost three years of the pandemic. Magrini will continue in his current role for the ordinary management of AIFA until 23 January.

Magrini had been chosen by former minister Roberto Speranza on March 2, 2020 for the direction in the first and very difficult days of the Covid pandemic. Over time Aifa has mostly followed the recommendations that came from theEuropean agency (Ema) regarding vaccines and drugs that have been developed to counter the Sars Cov 2 coronavirus. Schillaci, after hearing the opinion of the Regions, will indicate the name of who will temporarily take his place.

On 14 December the AIFA reform was approved with a decree law. The reform of the Medicines Agency provides for a broad reorganization in the management and administration of the regulatory body. And it is in this area that the figure of the general manager, who currently has all the management powers and directs its activity, has been abolished, while the president Aifa has become the legal representative of the Agency.

The reform envisages that it will be a decree of the Ministry of Health, in concert with the Public Administration and Mef, in agreement with the State-Regions Conference, to identify not only the functions, but also the methods for appointing the president of Aifa himself, as well as the administrative director and the technical-scientific director. The merger of the current two Commissions that deal with prices and reimbursements and the scientific evaluation of new medicines is planned. The new Single Commission (Cse) will also be appointed according to criteria and methods that will be established by the same decree.

In recent days, Magrini had reiterated the importance of vaccination: “We are one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, and with the best vaccines. But we must not rest on our laurels. You don't live on income and the campaign must be continued". Among the people at risk for age reasons, the fourth dose was taken by 43% over 80, 30% aged between 70 and 79 and less than 19% aged 60-69. “Definitely not enough for those at risk” highlighted Magrini.

Source Il Fatto Quotidiano – 4 gennaio 2023

Who is Nicola Magrini

Magrini is a doctor specialized in clinical pharmacology. He began his career as a researcher at the University of Bologna, and in 1999 he founded the Center for the Evaluation of Healthcare Effectiveness, which he directed until 2012.

He founded the Italian Cochrane Center and was director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Evidence Synthesis and Guideline Development from 2008 to 2014. Since then, he has coordinated the Committee of Experts that draws up the list of essential medicines of the World Health Organization referring to the year 2015. He was also a member of the WHO Ethics Committee for clinical research. (Source Open on line – 4 gennaio 2023)

Magrini, unlike Palù, had little chance of carving out a niche in the new Aifa. Considered a man of the left and appointed by former minister Roberto Speranza, a couple of days ago, in an interview to Republic, he used words that the government will not like.

“After an important change of government we have witnessed some hesitations or moments of reflection, regarding the vaccination campaign”, he said, adding however that “the numbers of these days give us hope”.

Related news: LAW 16 December 2022, n. 196