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PMRP says new Bill a distortion of Bibile policy
View(s):The People’s Movement for the Rights of People has rejected the new Medicinal Regulation Bill as a distortion of and insult to the policy of Prof. Senaka Bibile.
A PMRP spokesman said a comprehensive national medicinal drugs policy based on Prof. Bibile’s essential medicines concept had been approved by Cabinet as far back as October 2005. After more than eight years of delays and the mysterious disappearance of the draft bill, a new bill was presented to Cabinet in March.
The spokesman said there was suspicion as to who had drafted this bill with some speculation that it was done by a controversial official who is alleged to have connections with transnational drug companies.
The spokesman said the original policy had called for the appointment of an independent National Medicinal Drugs Regulatory Authority to drastically reduce the record number of drugs now registered for import. But the new bill which is now before a subcommittee on legislation makes no such provision.
The Bibile policy also calls for the state to play a much bigger role in the import of drugs and for more drugs to be produced locally by the State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporaion. But the new bill makes no such provision, a spokesman said.
The Bibile principles also call for mainly generic prescriptions with a few exceptions but the new bill makes no provisions for this either, he added.