April 24, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 06, 1428

ISLAMABAD, April 23: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said on Monday that the government is taking steps to position Pakistan as the manufacturing and export hub of high quality drugs.

He stated this while reviewing the performance of pharmaceutical industry and implementation of intellectual property rights (IPRs) law.

He said the relevant regulations and procedures have been improved to bring them in line with the best international practices.

An official announcement said effective intellectual property rights organisation has an important role in the establishment and expansion of industries and manufacturing of products having internationally competitive quality.

He said the steps taken by the government including the establishment of an Intellectual Property Rights Organisation of Pakistan, strict enforcement of laws, streamlining of drugs and patents registration process have brought significant improvement in the pharmaceutical industry and Pakistan is poised to increase export of drugs.

Mr Aziz said the plans to establish the Drugs Regulatory Authority (DRA) have been finalised and its establishment will bring improvement in the pharmaceutical sector.

He emphasised the need for promoting high quality medical research in the country and said the industry and academia need to join hands to develop a culture of research and capacity for it in the country.

The premier asked the ministry of health to put up a complete plan to initiate R&D activities in the country.

He said the ministry and pharmaceutical industry should work together for capacity building to promote research at the local level to attract some funds for research that are available globally.

The government, he said, is encouraging more investment in the pharmaceutical industry and medical services and the sector would be further deregulated to facilitate its growth.