Call to implement national medicinal drugs policy

Initial steps have been taken to formulate the urgently needed National Medicinal Drugs Policy (NMDP) said a spokesman for the Peoples Movement for the Rights of Patents. A draft for the NMDP was worked out during four days to consultations in February and June/July 2005.

These consultations convened by the Health Ministry were chaired by Dr. Krishantha Weerasuriya, the World Health Organisation’s South East Asia advisor on drug policy and the essential medicines concept. All stakeholders including professors of Pharmacology, medical specialists, pharmacists and representatives of the pharmaceutical industry participated actively in the consultations.

This comprehensive draft for the NMDP - based on the essential medicines concept of revered Professor Senaka Bibile - was handed over to Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva in July 2005 and he obtained Cabinet approval for the draft in October the same year.

Thereafter an 18-member National Standing Committee including high level representatives of all stakeholders was appointed to draft legislation for the NMDP. Including the setting up of a new independent National Medicinal Drugs Regulatory Authority.

The National Standing Committee formulated the recommendations for the setting up of the new National Medicinal Drugs Regulatory Authority after several consultations with WHO experts as well as other foreign and local experts. The only procedure that remains is to forward the draft to the Legal Draftsman’s Department to fine-tune the legislation and present it to Parliament for approval.

But there has been a long delay and some dillydallying with vested interests such as transnational drug companies, some of the health authorities and doctors who are apparently under the influence of drug companies, trying to dilute or derail the proposed new legislation which is intended to make available quality drugs to all the people at affordable prices.

Further, we request you to appeal to the President and to the Ministry of Health to take action to implement the NMDP soon and reject any pressure from vested interests to put patent rights before patients’ rights.