ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) is optimistic about achieving Level III of the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, as the international body is expected to conduct a final audit of the authority this year to provide it accreditation.

National health services ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah told Dawn that in the preparatory mission report WHO had complemented efforts of Drap towards strengthening its regulatory system.

He said the authority was committed to strengthening its laboratories for further ensuring that quality drugs were available in the country.

In this context, the Central Drug Laboratory (CDL) is being upgraded. This is one of the most important steps in making Drap a modern day regulatory body, he said.

“CDL has recently been revamped in accordance with international best practices. The laboratory now houses some of the cutting edge equipment for testing and analysis of drugs, alternative medicines and medical devices.

“Best practices as recommended by WHO and United States Pharmacopoeia are being implemented for performing tests on therapeutic goods,” he said.

Mr Shah said Drap had completed its pre-accession stage in the pharmaceutical inspection cooperation scheme (PIC/S) and was now addressing gaps identified by the auditor of PIC/S.

He also said an online application management system was launched in December 2020 for licensing, registration and inspection activities.

“Moreover, ISO 9001:2015 certification for Quality Management System of Drap has been completed. Launch of Med-Safety Mobile Application in collaboration with WHO for reporting of adverse reactions/events by healthcare professionals and public was another positive step,” he said.

Mr Shah said Drap had approved seven Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use - Sinopharm, Cansino, Sinovac, Sputnik V, AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna.

“Moreover, the private sector has been allowed to import the vaccine and contribute in achieving the herd immunity at the earliest,” he said.

NAB records statements

Meanwhile, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday recorded statements in a case related to the out of turn promotions in Drap.

The case was taken up by NAB after an inquiry conducted by a joint secretary and two deputy secretaries proved that three officers of Drap had gotten out of turn promotions.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2021