Lack of mechanism to restrict registration

Thousands of non-essential drugs dumped in country

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Thousands of non-essential drugs are dumped in Sri Lanka due to the absence of an efficient mechanism for restricting their registration.

The country imports over 9,000 types of medicinal drugs when the actual need is for less that 350 varieties. The list of essential medicine include these varieties.

According to the People’s Movement for the Rights of Patients (PMRP), this has led to a situation where pharmacists have to store hundreds of medicinal drugs of the same type with similar medicinal content, patients have to select from hundreds of drug items for their prescribed items while having to pay exorbitant sums.

This is the result of the non-implementation of the National Medicinal Drug Policy, explained, a PMRP member Christine Perera.

The draft National Medicinal Drug Policy(NMDP) was prepared in 2005 sequel to consultations held between all stakeholders for over four days. The sessions were presided over by World Health Organization Essential Medicine Regional Advisor Prof. Krisantha Weerasuriya.

The draft Act for NMDP was approved by the Cabinet for legislation.

According to sources close to the pharmaceutical industry and Health Ministry, there are many elements who stand in the way of implementing the NMDP because once it is implemented pharmaceutical companies would not be able to import or sell drugs at their convenience as they do now.

There will be a statutory body named the National Medicinal Drug Regulatory Authority(NDRA) to regulate and control the manufacture, importations , registration, promotion, sale and distribution of medicinal drugs under the NMDP.

Drug items will be registered based on quality, safety efficacy, need and cost-effectiveness. PMRP attorney Chandralal Majuwana said, patients have been rendered to spend high prices on medicinal drugs on account of thousands of brand names on pharmaceutical products in the market.

The NMPD could reduce this number down to 350 on the basis of essential drug list priorities, scientific evidence on disease patterns in Sri Lanka and on cost effectiveness.

The pharmaceutical companies would not be able to trade their drug items at high prices once the NMDP was in force. The process would also prevent the entry of substandard drugs into the market, he said.

The country would be able to save billions of rupees in foreign exchange by cutting down drug expenses. Patients would be benefited in being able to get quality drugs at affordable prices, he said.

There were drug items in the market which one could buy at 50 cents and even at Rs 50, with a similar chemical content with different commercial names, he pointed out.