How does the ethical review process work in Luxembourg and which are the designated ethics committees?
In Luxemburg, there is only one national research ethics committee, called Comité National d’Ethique de Recherche (CNER) which provides a single opinion which is valid for all the country’s investigational sites.
The Committee is in contact with the Competent Authority (here it is the Division de la Pharmacie et des Médicaments of the Health Ministry) with different research institutions through the secretariat, which provides info, answers questions etc. It is also involved with the CIEC (Clinical and Epidemiological Investigation Center) which organises information and training days relating to clinical research, and generally helps investigators realise their research projects when they need help. The Committee is in frequent contact with the National Data Protection Commission (www.cnpd.lu), which has one member attenting the national REC meetings as an observer.