Library / regulatory-reference
Latvia: State Agency of Medicines (ZVA)
Audience: administrators-policy, researchers-scientists ยท Review state: published
The national authority
The State Agency of Medicines, known by its Latvian initials ZVA, is Latvia's national regulatory authority for medicines and medical devices.
Latvia's market sits inside the European single market, and the agency works within the European regulatory network while overseeing a market that imports most of its medicines.
How products enter the market
Medicines require marketing authorization through national or European procedures after evaluation of quality, safety and efficacy, and establishments are licensed and inspected by the agency.
Post-market work includes safety monitoring within the European alert network, with the agency maintaining public registers of authorized products.
Regional and international role
The agency is an active member of the European regulatory network and cooperates closely with its Baltic neighbors, including on shared supply-security concerns.
Baltic cooperation on medicine shortages and procurement has become a practical theme for all three states.
Using this profile
The agency publishes regulations, registers and alerts in Latvian, with English material, through its official portal, which is the primary source for current rules and listed in this profile's internal reference record.
For cross-country comparison: Latvia illustrates the Baltic network member: a small import market managing supply security through regional cooperation.
Limitations
Educational profile of a national regulatory system, current as of drafting. It simplifies routes and classes and is not legal, regulatory, or clinical advice. Filing and compliance decisions must be confirmed against the authority's current published rules and, where needed, professional regulatory counsel.