ARCHE Consulting hosted an in-person event to discuss the future, opportunities and challenges related to the Biocides Product Regulation.
Navigating the Future of Biocides: Insights from the 12th BPR Symposium
Navigating the Future of Biocides:
Insights from the 12th BPR Symposium
Over 60 attendees gathered at the Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel for the 12th annual ARCHE Consulting BPR symposium. We have been glad to welcome industry partners, legal counsel, laboratories, and consultancies to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the biocides industry.
The symposium featured a range of topics, all presented by experts in the field. The day started with a session on ‘Sustainable Use of Biocides’, chaired by Frederik Verdonck (ARCHE Consulting). The session delved into intruiging topics including the possiblities for sustainability claims for biocidal products, smart product portfolio management, technical equivalence of natural products and insights on the recently published PT 11/12 efficacy guidance.
The session on ‘Regulatory Experiences’, moderated by Koen Van Maldegem (Fieldfisher Belgium), featured presentations from Ctgb and FOD and their view as competent authorities on the influence of referrals to harmonise Mutual Recognitions and Product Authorisations. We ended the day by talking about the challenges linked with active substance approval, renewals and the expected impact of the end of data protection on review programme dossiers.
Speakers included Gerard McElwee from Fieldfisher Belgium, Stijn Van Hees from ARCHE consulting, David Norris from DNAL, Bernard Gruson from Nalco, Cindy Van der Meer from CTGB, Hélène Jarrety from the Belgian authority (FOD), An Vanden Bosch from ARCHE Consulting and Antoine Biron from TerpeneTech. Each speaker brought valuable insights and expertise to the various topics discussed, showcasing the wide array of knowledge present at the event. The audience was clearly involved as lively interactions followed each presentation.
Key messages from the symposium emphasized the dynamic regulatory environment:
- The importance of smart portfolio managament to develop a sustainable market for biocidal products; extensive legal background was provided to understand which (green) claims are allowed for biocidal products.
- The dynamic regulatory environment poses challenges for the industry and demands constant attention from all stakeholders, including guidance updates and test-protocol adaptations. Practical experience with the PT11/12 efficacy guideline was provided.
- Valuable insights were given in the EU referral process to harmonise Mutual Recognition, the peer review processes, the influence of the Family Guidance to split BPF’s and the difficulty to figure out links between different dossiers under renewal.
- All challenges associated with AS applications and renewals were extensively discussed, including the importance of (the extension of) data protection to ensure fair and cooperative relationships between active substance manufacturers. The challenges of Technical Equivalence of Natural Products were shown and elaborated on.
The 12th BPR Symposium served as an excellent opportunity for stakeholders to gather and discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead for the biocides industry while it operates in a complex and rapidly changing regulatory landscape. With a focus on collaboration and addressing regulatory challenges, the event provided a strong foundation for future progress in the field.
This event was made possible thanks to the efforts of the ARCHE Consulting team and the support of our sponsors Fieldfisher Belgium and EurIdeas.
