DIA hosts 12th biennial Middle East Regulatory Conference
KUWAIT: The 12th biennial Middle East Regulatory Conference (MERC) took place recently in Millennium Hotel. The Drug Information Association (DIA) hosted the conference with support from Middle East Regulatory Network (MERN) and European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).
Jeffrey Kemprecos, from GCC Public Policy, said that the conference reviewed and tracked medicines and licenses to make sure that the medicines’ supplies are safe. “We are here to share the practices about how to regulate the medicine supply with safety and high quality, to benefit the patients and also to adopt the best recommendations,” he said. He added that Kuwait is standing in a good position and has one of the most transparent regulatory systems, and excellent cooperation with the companies in the biopharmaceutical sector. Kemprecos discussed about competitiveness, innovation and investment. He said that the Middle Eastern countries can compete in the innovative biopharmaceutical sector if they shared the same vision, strategy and policy road map to drive reforms as history shows that with the right eco-system, small countries can outperform larger countries.
Frank Lichtenberg, who is a professor of business at Columbia University, the United States of America, has been studying the impact of biomedical innovation on health for the past 20 years, and completed a study on nine Middle East and African countries. Lichtenberg discussed the impact of pharmaceutical innovation on longevity, productivity, and medical expenditure. He said that real-world evidence from numerous countries indicates that pharmaceutical innovation has been the principal cause of longevity growth where in the US, the value of reductions in work loss days and hospital admissions attributable to pharmaceutical innovation was estimated to be three times as large as the cost of new drugs consumed. Also, countries where new drugs are launched earlier obtain greater benefits from pharmaceutical innovation.
MERC brings together crossfunctional leaders in drug development, in a uniquely neutral forum, from across the Middle East and Europe. Over 250 leaders from over 20 different countries share insights and diverse perspectives on the progress and priorities within the regulatory landscape of the region. The event was attended by Kuwait Drug and Food Control Administration, the Ministry of Health Kuwait, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, the Egyptian Drug Authority, the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, and the Gulf Health Council.
These regulatory authorities, together with industry experts, openly exchanged opinions and information on topics such as, facilitated regulatory pathways, optimizing review processes, bar coding and serialization, electronic common technical documents (eCTD), and pharmacovigilance. The goal of this conference was to learn from one another, to bring tangible steps for advancement back to every country and organization, ultimately increasing patient access to new and improved medicines and therapies, also open exchange of country-level developments, as well as challenges, generates increased opportunities for collaboration and harmonization.
Since 1964, DIA has provided a global stage for collaboration to address healthcare challenges. As a member-driven volunteer organization, professionals from 80 countries have engaged with DIA through their unparalleled membership network, educational offerings, and professional development opportunities. In a uniquely neutral environment, DIA mobilizes the best and brightest minds to engage in current healthcare challenges and to affect outcomes. Starting with the controversy over the drug Thalidomide, DIA’s founders - a group of 30 pharmaceutical professionals, medical writers, and academics - came together to create a platform for necessary global communication and collaboration to solve a healthcare threat to unborn children worldwide.