DRAP to be strengthened: Kiani

Islamabad : Pakistan is making every effort to strengthen the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) in accordance with Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision, Health Minister Aamer Mehmood Kiani told members of a delegation of the United States Pharmacopeia that called on him here Tuesday.

The delegation was headed by Emily M Kaine, Senior Vice President, GPH, USP, and comprised Senior Director and Chief of Party of PQM, USP, Jude Nwokike and Syed Khalid Saeed Bukhari, respectively.

The delegation shared the support being extended to enhance the current level of self-sufficiency within DRAP. The USP staff’s support for self-assessment of nine regulatory functions and development of institutional plans for Level III compliance were also discussed. USP is supporting DRAP to achieve ISO 9001:2015, and LQMS for Central Drug Testing Laboratory, Karachi.

Development of Integrated Regulatory Information Management System (IRIMS) software is major joint venture between DRAP and USP; once completed, Pakistan will become one of the few countries in Asia to implement this system. This system will help improve screening functions for transparency of decision-making for product marketing authorizations.

Kiani appreciated USP’s continuous support to DRAP. While there are no two opinions about the need to strengthen DRAP, it is also time the new government prioritized measures to purge DRAP of the alleged corruption on which it thrives so that public trust in this crucial organisation stands restored.