Accession Requirements

PIC/S membership is open to GMP Inspectorates having an inspection system comparable to that of other PIC/S Members (Article 8 of the PIC Scheme). The main conditions are to have a law on medicinal products, a GMP Guide equivalent to that of PIC/S (or the EU GMP Guide), a GMP Inspectorate, which fulfils PIC/S quality system requirements and experienced GMP Inspectors.

Requirements for Membership

The exact requirements can be seen from the Audit Checklist (see below "Related Documents") which is applicable to both assessments and reassessments under PIC/S.

Indeed, existing PIC/S Participating Authorities are also reassessed for equivalence on a regular basis. This ensures that both new applicants and older members fulfil the same requirements.

Financial Costs

In line with a decision by the PIC/S Committee which entered into force on 25 August 2023 the applicable fees as from 2024 are:

For Members:

The annual ordinary membership fee is CHF 10,400 (Swiss Francs). It is paid by full Members. Please note that PIC/S membership implies slightly higher costs, as regular participation in the PIC/S Committee meetings (2 per year), Seminars (1 per year), Expert Circle meetings (3 per year) and Joint Visits (2 to 3 per year) is normally expected from Members. All these events take place in other PIC/S countries around the world and last from 1 to 3 days each. A corresponding travelling budget should thus be ensured.

For Applicants:

Applicants have to pay a registration fee, equivalent to the annual ordinary membership fee (i.e. CHF 10,400 for applications lodged as from 2024), which will be charged once all the complete application has been submitted to the PIC/S Secretariat. In addition, during the whole assessment process, Applicants will have to pay an annual fee corresponding to 80% of the annual membership fee paid by Members (i.e. CHF 8,600).

For Pre-Applicants:

Pre-Applicants do not have to pay a registration fee but during the whole pre-assessment process, Pre-Applicants will have to pay - similarly to Applicants - an annual fee corresponding to 80% of the annual membership fee paid by Members (i.e. CHF 8,600).

Attendance of Meetings, Seminars & Expert Circles

Non-PIC/S Agencies, which have applied for accession, can attend PIC/S Committee meetings. They can also attend PIC/S Seminars and Expert Circle meetings. They are encouraged to participate in these activities, as it will allow them to get familiar with the PIC/S family. They have also the possibility to contact other PIC/S Members directly. They can for example visit them in order to exchange information on their GMP system and their way of carrying out inspections.