National Drug Policy gets cabinet approval

The Cabinet approval has been granted for the proposed new National Medicinal Drug, Devises and Cosmetic Authority draft bill and it will be presented to the Parliament within next few days, Health and Indigenous Medicine Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said.

The observation was made at the cabinet briefing held at the Government Information Department today.

The decision to table this legislation was taken at the Executive Committee meeting of the political party leaders which held at the Presidential Secretariat on 22 January.

The objects of the policy are– 

(1) to ensure the availability of safe, efficacious and good quality medicinal drugs, safe, effective and acceptable quality devices and safe and acceptable quality cosmetics to the general public at affordable prices; 

(2) function as the central regulator for all matters connected with the importation, manufacture, storage, sale, distribution, exhibition, disposal, transport and registration of medicinal drugs, devices, cosmetics and investigational medicinal products; 

(3) ensure through the services provided by National Medicinal Drug Quality Assurance Laboratory and other recognized laboratories, only efficacious, safe and good quality medicinal drugs are made available 3 to the health care sector and the general public ; 

(4) ensure that all activities related to importation and registration of medicinal drugs, devices, cosmetics or investigational medicinal products are carried out in a transparent, sustainable and equitable manner; 

(5) promote and encourage the manufacturing of medicinal drugs in Sri-Lanka; and 

(6) promote the safe and rational use of medicinal drugs by health care sector and the general public.

The legislation of this policy has been in the make for years during the tenure of the previous government.