Innovators wanted?

Following the November annulment of Guido Rasi's appointment as EMA executive director, the agency and the European Commission are preparing to select his replacement. Which of three dozen unnamed applicants make the commission's short list - and who is selected to lead EMA - should say a lot about the agency's ability to continue to innovate in regulatory science and policymaking.

The EMA's formal role is neither to create regulation, nor to approve drugs, but rather to provide scientific advice to the EC. As the legal representative of the agency, the executive director is a critical player in communicating agency needs to the commission, which has legal oversight of the agency, and the European Parliament, which has budgetary oversight...