22:01
Unknown
Karachi
The pharmaceutical industry, health professionals and medical associations have welcomed the signing of the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) bill.
They said it would ensure the provision of quality and cost-effective medicines to the masses.
However, they were of the opinion that in order to prevent counterfeit and spurious medicines, the authorities should learn from the experiences of India and Bangladesh, where strict monitoring of the drug market prevented any irregularity in the medicine sector.
They were of the opinion that the aim of setting up such authorities should be to benefit the people and provide them with cheap and affordable health facilities. But if these authorities did not provide any relief to the masses, they added, their establishment and functioning were useless.
The Pakistan Pharma Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA) chairman termed the signing of the DRA bill by President Asif Ali Zardari as a “historic moment”. But he added that it was just a beginning as rules and regulations had yet to be formulated.
He claimed that the PPMA was consulted before the signing of the bill and it gave its output prior to the formation of the authority. He hoped that all the concerns and reservations of the industry would be addressed in the bill.
The PPMA president said after giving the most favoured nation (MFN) status to India, the pharma industry had reservations that if Indian medicines arrived in the Pakistani market, they would harm the local pharma industry. He added without incentives, it was not possible for the local industry to compete against the well-established Indian pharma industry.
Pakistan Islamic Medical Association Karachi President Dr Ahmed Salman Ghauri also welcomed the move and said the DRA’s establishment in the Centre was a wise decision as allowing the provinces to run such authorities could have opened the doors of corruption and anomalies.
He said giving the MFN status to India would create problems for the local pharma industry. However, he added, it would also help the poor patients in the country. “The most important issue is to register new medicines and maintaining the quality control of medicines. This should be the prime focus of the new authority.”
Pakistan Medical Association President Dr Tipu Sultan said if the newly-established authority worked as per the law and its officials performed their responsibilities with honesty and dedication, it could prove to be a welcoming move; otherwise it would be another futile exercise.
“There is a need for ending corruption in the process of drug registration; otherwise the DRA will fail to make a difference.”
Sindh Chief Drug Inspector Saleem Isharat and the Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association president also welcomed the move. They hoped it would help resolve the issues faced by the pharma industry, wholesalers, doctors and patients.
The pharmaceutical industry, health professionals and medical associations have welcomed the signing of the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) bill.
They said it would ensure the provision of quality and cost-effective medicines to the masses.
However, they were of the opinion that in order to prevent counterfeit and spurious medicines, the authorities should learn from the experiences of India and Bangladesh, where strict monitoring of the drug market prevented any irregularity in the medicine sector.
They were of the opinion that the aim of setting up such authorities should be to benefit the people and provide them with cheap and affordable health facilities. But if these authorities did not provide any relief to the masses, they added, their establishment and functioning were useless.
The Pakistan Pharma Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA) chairman termed the signing of the DRA bill by President Asif Ali Zardari as a “historic moment”. But he added that it was just a beginning as rules and regulations had yet to be formulated.
He claimed that the PPMA was consulted before the signing of the bill and it gave its output prior to the formation of the authority. He hoped that all the concerns and reservations of the industry would be addressed in the bill.
The PPMA president said after giving the most favoured nation (MFN) status to India, the pharma industry had reservations that if Indian medicines arrived in the Pakistani market, they would harm the local pharma industry. He added without incentives, it was not possible for the local industry to compete against the well-established Indian pharma industry.
Pakistan Islamic Medical Association Karachi President Dr Ahmed Salman Ghauri also welcomed the move and said the DRA’s establishment in the Centre was a wise decision as allowing the provinces to run such authorities could have opened the doors of corruption and anomalies.
He said giving the MFN status to India would create problems for the local pharma industry. However, he added, it would also help the poor patients in the country. “The most important issue is to register new medicines and maintaining the quality control of medicines. This should be the prime focus of the new authority.”
Pakistan Medical Association President Dr Tipu Sultan said if the newly-established authority worked as per the law and its officials performed their responsibilities with honesty and dedication, it could prove to be a welcoming move; otherwise it would be another futile exercise.
“There is a need for ending corruption in the process of drug registration; otherwise the DRA will fail to make a difference.”
Sindh Chief Drug Inspector Saleem Isharat and the Pakistan Chemists and Druggists Association president also welcomed the move. They hoped it would help resolve the issues faced by the pharma industry, wholesalers, doctors and patients.
Posted in: Karachi News
0 comments:
Post a Comment