3 August 2023 07:34 pm Views - 914
Former Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said there are guidelines to be followed when unapproved drugs are being imported.
"Earlier, this was not done in an ad-hoc manner, on the whims of the Minister and the CEO. We followed a guideline, which was followed until 2021," Senaratne said.
"In 2020 there were 414 requests for Waivers of Registration, out of which 185 were approved and 183 were rejected by an expert committee," he added.
The same procedure was followed the year after, Senaratne said.
"However there was a special pathway created in 2022, where approval was granted without the committee, according to the wishes of the Minister. Just this year there have been 55 requests out of which 54 have been approved," Senaratne said. (Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuruya)