A new regulatory network of countries of WHO’s south-east Asia region is expected to bring a major change in the improvement of quality of medical products in the region that includes Bangladesh.
The South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN), an initiative taken by 11 countries, would brought together region’s regulatory agencies under one umbrella to ensure medical products produced and sold with proper quality and prevent low-quality products in market.
The common initiative is also expected to synchronize regulations, prevent unsafe products and resist antibiotic resistance caused from low quality drugs.
“The network, which connects every one of the region’s national regulatory authorities, will help harmonize existing regulations and streamline work-sharing arrangements in order to get the most out of our collective strengths,” said Dr Boonchai Somboonsok, Secretary General of Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration. Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia, added that the joint initiative would enhance region’s ability to effectively tackle health security threats such as antimicrobial resistance and tuberculosis.
The presence of poor quality medical products on the market is the result of limited regulatory capacity to enforce best practices needed to develop, produce and distribute them. Many regulatory authorities in the region lack sufficient technical capacity, staff and resources to perform effectively.
“By collaborating and working together we can learn from one another while effectively regulating the vast number of products available in our countries,” said Dr Somboonsok. For the smaller countries – such as Bhutan and Maldives – SEARN will significantly expand the ability for national regulators to ensure medical products are safe and of adequate quality, said WHO.
