ADDIS ABABA, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) on Wednesday urged its member countries to work in expanding access to quality-assured medicines in the region.
The East African bloc, IGAD, which is undertaking a five-day meeting in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on strengthening pharmacovigilance and post-marketing surveillance systems for medicines marketed in the region, stressed the need to expand access to quality-assured medicines among IGAD member states.
Unregulated substandard and falsified medicines circulating in IGAD member states are "serious public health threats which, if not prevented and controlled, will undermine confidence in public healthcare systems and programs," said Yehelu Denekew, Director General of Ethiopian Food, Medicines, and Healthcare Administration and Control Authority.
"As chair of IGAD, Ethiopia supports efforts to study the prevalence of substandard and falsified medicines in cross-border areas," Denekew said. "This will help the region develop necessary regulatory actions and interventions to control this problem."
The regional meeting, which brings together representatives from medicines regulatory authorities in IGAD countries as well as technical assistance experts, is also expected to assess the global experience in strengthening medicines quality assurance systems.
Fatuma Adan, IGAD's Senior Regional Program Coordinator for Health and Social Development, also called participants to review and finalize draft terms of reference for a Regional Expert Working Group on Pharmacovigilance and Post-Marketing Surveillance and submit to the heads of the national medicines regulatory authorities for ratification and approval.
Establishment of a Regional Expert Working Group on Pharmacovigilance and Post-Marketing Surveillance is aimed at providing recommendations for a regional cross-border pharmacovigilance system as well as for the implementation of a regional post-marketing surveillance strategy and related guidelines, it was noted.
It is also expected to provide a regional protocol for studying the prevalence of substandard and falsified medicines at selected IGAD cross-border sites, targeting products used in maternal and child health, family planning, tuberculosis, and HIV AIDS programs.
