Pharmaceutical regulation being pursued

Efforts to regulate pharmaceutical drugs within the Caribbean region are advancing.

 

So says Acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Kenneth George. 

 

Referring to the Caribbean Regulatory System, which is being implemented by countries in this region, he told those attending the Barbados Pharmaceutical Society’s launch of Pharmacy Week 2016 and a workshop at the Savannah Hotel yesterday morning, that this system is expected to be of benefit to the 16.7 million people living in this region.

 

The Acting CMO said Barbados is playing an active role in that process, which aims to not only strengthen the regulatory capacity of the region, but to ensure access by all to safe, effective and quality medicines, through a unified registration process. 

 

He further explained that the centralised medicine registration process currently under discussion by the Caribbean countries will focus initially on the registration of generics for the treatment of non- communicable diseases.

 

“The idea is that this process be managed through an electronic platform to facilitate issue of a single common registration, at the time of promoting the exchange of information among CARICOM Member States. Decisions on whether or not to include specific products in the registry, will in part depend on registration and marketing authorisation status in third party reference countries, considered to be the standard with well established regulatory and post market surveillance systems,” he said.

 

Dr. George revealed that ten drugs have been identified to commence this process; among them, he said, are Metformin, Amlodipine, Amoxicillin and Ibuprofen.

 

His comments came as he said that the country, in an effort to ensure that it has access to highly efficacious and quality drugs, has also been working with the International Conference on Drug Regulatory Authorities, which in addition to being instrumental in guiding regulatory authorities and the World Health Organisation, has also assisted in determining priorities for action in national and international regulations of medicines, vaccines, biomedicines and herbals.

 

Moreover, he said Barbados also collaborates with regional and international countries to monitor adverse drug reactions under its pharmacovigilance programme. George explained that the Barbados Drug Service monitors the adverse reports, which it submits to the World Health Organisation’s database, and where necessary takes remedial actions and measures to remedy them. 

 

(JRT)