The IDMP data standards aim to standardise the submission of data on medicinal products. Remco Munnik, Associate Director at Iperion, has been working with the EU focus group creating the EU IDMP Implementation Guide version 2, published late February. He explains why pharma companies need to act now in response to the new guidance and provides practical recommendations for action. The EU Identification of Medicinal Products (IDMP) Implementation Guide version 2.0 (EU IG), for the submission of data on medicinal products, sets out the implementation requirements of the ISO IDMP standards in the EU and triggers the countdown to the implementation of IDMP in Europe. With the clock ticking, life sciences companies doing business in the EU need to start getting their data in order and processes in place. In addition to the data requirements of ISO IDMP, the new Target Operating Model (TOM) implies that existing processes within life sciences companies need to be amended to collect more data from an earlier point in the current process.