EU biocidal product registry upgrade announced
R4BP 3.3 now has updated functionalities to help both industry and authorities make better use of their time, multitask, and meet their regulatory obligations
A new user-friendly version of the European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) biocidal product registration database has been launched. Called R4BP 3.3, this IT system, through which all biocidal product authorisation applications are made under the EU biocidal products registration, now has updated functionalities. These are designed to help both industry and authorities make better use of their time, multitask, and meet their regulatory obligations.
Changes include offering international support for usernames and more specific error messages to inform users what went wrong; improvements to how summaries of product characteristics (SPC) are logged and handled – as finalised SPCs can now be downloaded as PDFs; and improvements to the transfer of simplified authorisations by allowing all related ongoing and finalised notifications to be transferred to a new authorisation holder.
According to the ECHA, the new version also 'removes the limitation regarding the authorisation holders for ‘same biocidal product’ authorisations: the same company can hold the initial authorisation and a related same biocidal product authorisation at the same time for the same market area.
'It also enables the use of Annex I active substance assets to start new product authorisation applications. Annex I is a list of initially active substances that present a low risk, substances identified as food additives, pheromones and other substances considered to have low toxicity, such as weak acids, alcohols and vegetable oils used in cosmetics and food.
R4BP 3 should help 'the industry and the authorities to comply with the legislative requirements,' said the ECHA. There are two user interfaces on the system: one for the industry and one for authorities, and the system allows for the exchange of information between them.