Minister asks industry to produce quality drugs

LAHORE: State Minister for National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar has emphasised the pharmaceutical industry to ensure high level of quality and regulatory compliance to ensure quality assured and safe drugs for people.Minister asks industry to produce quality drugs

Additionally, this will support businesses and growth and boost exports as well, the state minister said in her message read by Dr Muhammad Aslam, Chief Executive Officer of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), during one of the sessions of third Pakistan Pharma Summit organised by the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA), which concluded at a local hotel on Tuesday.

“Today, the concern for quality and safety of medicine is very high. Therefore, the regulatory compliance is ever increasing throughout the world whether developed or developing countries,” she added.She acknowledged that the pharma industry in Pakistan was playing its due role by providing medicines to needy patients.

“We have to ensure not only access of medicines but quality assured and affordable medicines,” she said.Special Assistant to prime minister Dr Musadik Malik also spoke on the occasion and shed light on challenges and potential of pharmaceutical industries of third world countries like that of Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, former PPMA chairman Hamid Raza congratulated the entire pharma fraternity that the months-long effort to amend the controversial provincial Drugs Act had finally borne fruit. He said it was quite satisfactory for the pharma industry that the provincial government had announced to table the new drugs bill in the upcoming session of the Punjab Assembly next month.

He said both sides, including representatives of pharma sector and the government, had done tremendous efforts to bridge the differences over the controversial provincial Drugs Act.

PPMA Chairman Dr Kaiser Waheed said the pharma industry had always supplemented and contributed towards efforts of the state and government to provide the best healthcare to ailing people.