Christoph Baumgärtel, MD, MSc
Member of International Editorial Advisory Board, GaBI Journal
Certified in Economics and Business, Human Medicines, Clinical Research and Assessment
Head of Department for Safety and Efficacy Assessment of Human Medicinal Products at the Institute for Marketing Authorisation of Medicinal Products and Lifecycle Management, AGES PharmMed (Austrian Medicines and Medical Devices Agency) and BASG (Austrian Federal Office for Safety in Health Care)
From 1992–1994, Dr Christoph Baumgärtel pursued Economics and Business Studies at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration Vienna, Austria. At the University of Vienna, he studied for his Doctor of Human Medicines degree from 1993–2000, followed by postdoctoral hospital and physicians’ practice positions until 2002. Dr Baumgärtel holds a Master’s Degree in EU Drug Regulatory Affairs.
Between 2002–2004, Dr Baumgärtel was in public service training and education at the Austrian Federal Ministry of Health, and from 2002–2005, assessor training at Austria’s Federal Institute of Medicines. In 2008, he received a Diploma in Clinical Research after two years of studying at the Vienna School for Clinical Research. In 2010, Dr Baumgärtel graduated as a Senior Assessor at AGES PharmMed, and since 2011 he has also been engaged in studying for an MSc in Regulatory Affairs at IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems, Austria.
Since 2006, he has acted as the Head of the Clinical Assessors, dealing with new drug applications and clinical trial assessment and issuing marketing authorizations for the Austrian and European markets at the Austrian Medicines and Medical Devices Agency AGES PharmMed since its founding.
Dr Baumgärtel is involved in the assessment of Human Medicinal Products in National and European authorization procedures and is responsible for Medical, Political and Public Communication and the Risk Coordination of the agency. He is a nominated European expert and Austrian Member of the Safety Working Party and the Pharmacokinetic Expert Group of Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use/European Medicines Agency and is involved in drafting of pharmacokinetic guidelines. Dr Baumgärtel’s committee membership also extends to the Scientific Advisory Board and the AIDS Committee of the Austrian Council of Health. He is a member of the Ministry of Health’s Influenza Pandemic Taskforce and a nominated EU (European Union) contact point for the pandemic scenario. He has co-authored the Austrian pandemic preparedness plan. Dr Baumgärtel is involved in coordination and guidance of external assessors for the Austrian Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG). He is an expert to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for the NDA (Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies) Panel in evaluation of risk reduction health claims, and a rapporteur of scientific opinions for the NDA panel of EFSA. He is the Agency’s delegated Member of the Health Technology Assessment and Cost Commission of the Ministry of Health, Expert in Austrian Medicine Reimbursement System and Vice Chair of the Austrian Medicines Prescription Commission. Since 2013, he is Chair of the Austrian OTC Commission, acting in relation to the Austrian e-Health system ELGA.
Dr Baumgärtel is an editor for CIRS Medical Critical Incidence Reporting System, a lector and a medical adviser for e-Health Portal (www.gesundheit.gv.at), a designated expert of the Austrian Medicines Authority for Generic Medicines and Biosimilars.
Dr Baumgärtel is an active peer reviewer and board advisor for international journals of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics and a lecturer for medicines authorization, clinical research, pharmacotherapy, pharmacoeconomy and biotechnology at the Universities of Vienna, Innsbruck and Krems.
Formerly, Dr Baumgärtel has also compiled preclinical and clinical expert opinions in National and European Mutal Recognition Procedures for registration of Human Medicines in Austria and the EU. He has trained, instructed and inspected in emergency school/services.
To date, in his professional career, Dr Baumgärtel has given over 210 public lectures and presentations, and has over 160 publications which include expert articles and newspaper articles, television and radio interviews.