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Urgent medicine purchases on G2G basis: Criteria before Cabinet
View(s):By Namini Wijedasa
The Health Ministry has sought Cabinet approval for its criteria for securing urgent medication from several countries on a government-to-government (G2G) basis, a senior official said, adding that the plan was in progress.
All major pharmaceutical unions have opposed the scheme. In a letter to the Health Minister sent earlier in May, the Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI), the National Chamber of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association warned that the move could have “serious and far-reaching consequences, including risks to patient safety due to the influx of substandard or unregulated medicines”.
But the Health Ministry official said that strict conditions would be enforced to ensure quality, safety and efficacy. He did not wish to be named.
The nations are India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China and Thailand, the official said, requesting not to be named. “We are awaiting Cabinet approval to go ahead with the government-to-government pharmaceutical procurement criteria,” he elaborated, adding that the Health Ministry has already secured approval from the National Procurement Commission.
“Once approval is received, we plan to have discussions with the counterpart government to sign the memorandums of agreement,” he said. “Thereafter, the commercial contracts will be entered into between the respective agencies. In Sri Lanka, it is the State Pharmaceutical Corporation, while the counterpart government must nominate their agencies.”
The official said that the ministry would “go ahead with G2G only for whatever drugs that are needed to fill (existing) supply gaps and not for day-to-day or normal procurement.”
Asked how the ministry would decide which country should supply which drugs—as a list of 111 medications was attached to the note verbales sent to the respective foreign missions—he said they would be based on price and “the best proposal” and approved by a high-level procurement committee.
“They will have to adhere to strict regulation by the NMRA (National Medicines Regulatory Authority), and, while waivers of registration will be granted, they have been asked to provide six certifications, including GMP (good manufacturing practices) certificates,” he insisted.
However, the official could not say how long it would take to procure the drugs in this manner.
Pharma unions have both written and expressed opposition to the move at meetings with Health Minister Nalinda Jayatissa and other officials. In their last letter sent earlier this month, they say, “While we understand and respect the Ministry’s intention to explore all available channels to safeguard patient access, we are deeply concerned that G2G procurement, though well intentioned, may take two to three months or longer to materialise, owing to the procedural and diplomatic complexities.”
Pointing out that they—the private sector—have been urged to deliver the required items within two weeks, they emphasise that “such responsiveness is feasible only if the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) issues the necessary indents and Letters of Credit (LCs) without delay to registered suppliers”.
This has “largely not been done”, an authoritative pharma industry source said.
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