Tamás L Paál was previously the director-general of the National Institute of Pharmacy, Hungary’s drug regulatory agency, a position he held between 1984 and 2001 and again from 2002 to 2008. Dr Paál graduated in pharmacy, postgraduated in drug control and chemical engineering, and spent 11 years in the pharmaceutical industry. He also became a university professor in 1984. At present, as part-time jobs, he lectures at the Department of Drug Regulatory Affairs, University of Szeged, and also at the Institute of Pharmacy Administration, Semmelweis University, Budapest. He is a member of The Organisation of Professionals in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA), Drug Information Association (DIA), the European Forum of Good Clinical Practice (EFGCP) and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, among others. He holds awards from the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS), DIA and TOPRA. He published more than 180 papers on pharmaceutical chemistry, analysis, regulatory affairs and quality assurance.