Irregular drug purchases drain forex -Top parliamentary committee

• Same generic drugs imported under different trade names 
• The committee proposes to increase the manufacture of medicines locally to 30 percent within the next three years

By Kelum Bandara   

A key recently established parliamentary committee has found that large number of different varieties of medicinal drugs belonging to the same generic code are imported to the country and it should be reduced based on experts’ recommendations. 

The Sub-Committee in identifying short and medium term programmes related to Economic Stabilization, headed by Opposition MP Patali Champika Ranawaka , has found it and make this proposal in its recommendations for the development of the health sector.   The committee says Rs. 160 billion is spent on pharmaceuticals and as much as 85 percent of it is for imports. It means the country spends US $ 380 million to import medicinal drugs.  

“There are 15 local manufacturers of pharmaceuticals (including the State Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Corporation (SPMC)). They manufacture 15 percent of the total value of medicines providing 35 percent of the medicine requirement of the country. The local medicine sale through private pharmacies is four percent,” he said.  

The committee proposes to increase the manufacture of medicines locally to 30 percent within the next three years, after identifying the problems faced by the local pharmaceutical manufacturers upon the constitution of a High Level Steering Committee in which the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and the local pharmaceutical manufacturers are included.  
The National Medicine Regulatory Authority (NMRA) regulates 14000 different medicines.   

“An Independent Expert Committee should analyze these approved medicines and make arrangements to reduce their quantity. The importation of different varieties of medicines belonging to the same brand should be limited on the recommendations of an Expert Committee. The recommendations of the World Health Organization can be used in this regard (WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification system). It is emphasized that the current standard tests should not be limited to approval steps but also the samples should be tested at distribution of goods (the standard is tested only in relation to very few medicines issued at present,” the report says.