New drug policy fails to pass muster with ACMOA March 5, 2015, 8:18 pm

New drug policy fails to pass muster with ACMOA

March 5, 2015, 8:18 pm 

by Don Asoka Wijewardena

All Ceylon Medical Officers’ Association (ACMOA) General Secretary Dr. Jayantha Bandara yesterday rejected the 102-page the new National Medicinal Drugs and Cosmetic Devices Regulatory Act as not being consistent with the original Prof. Senaka Bibile National Drug Policy.

Dr. Bandara pointed out that Prof. Bibile had never recommended the involvement of the private sector in importing drugs. But, the new Bill had granted 50 per cent of drug import facility to the private sector to exploit the people. The government was responsible for importing the balance. The new Bill had been introduced to satisfy the drug companies, he alleged.

The ACMOA said Prof. Bibile had categorically stated that before importing drugs a complete situational analysis should be done on the sales, marketing strategies, quantities to be imported and the kinds of drugs. Because at the moment more than 10,000 kinds of drugs were imported both by the government and the private sector.

Prof. Bibile had recommended importing only 300 kinds of drugs. But the new Bill was at variance with the original Bibile policy. The government had allowed the private sector to continue to exploit hapless people because there was no mechanism to control the prices of drugs. Any private sector company could import one kind of drug at Rs. 10 and sell at Rs.100, because there was no government authority to check whether the same kinds of drugs were being sold at fair prices or not. It was also the responsibility of the government to open new drug manufacturing facilities to expand the production capacities locally. But, the new policy did not contain such ventures at all, he said. 

Dr. Bandara said the ACMOA was of the view that there must be provision for the preparation of a situational analysis before importing drugs, introducing a price control formula, establishing a state-of-the-art National Drug Quality Assurance Laboratory, reducing the privileges granted to the private sector to import drugs at their whims and fancies, undertaking the responsibility of importing, distributing, assuring the quality of drugs and developing effective marketing strategies.