The HMA, initially known as the Heads of Agencies, was established in 1995 with a first full meeting taking place in Amsterdam in February 1996.
In February 1998, a parallel group bringing together the heads of agencies responsible for medicines for veterinary use held its first meeting.
In 2012, new European pharmacovigilance legislation added to the role and decision-making powers of the CMD in respect of human medicines.
Over the years, the HMA has added to its coordination activities to include clinical trials authorisation, worksharing of safety aspects, pediatric indications, interpretation of legal provisions and product testing.
It has also established a number of shared initiatives across the network which has resulted in Europe-wide projects concerning IT infrastructure, benchmarking, training programs and communication policy.