The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched a project to register drugs produced in the sub-region.
The move is to end the hitherto long periods associated with registering newly manufactured drugs.
[contextly_sidebar id=”IBLuw6wNzELM1yGxYXyS66OTFxpoSomd”]The project was adopted by heads of drug regulatory institutions at a meeting in Accra.
The officer in charge of Essential Medicine and Vaccines at the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), Sybil Ossei Agyeman Yeboah who spoke to Citi News said the registration of medicines in the sub region, normally takes a long process to go on scientifically.
“Normally when medicines are registered, it takes a long process for the registration process to go on and scientifically it has been recognized that sometimes it takes as long as three years whereas it could have been done in three months or six months, all because of logistics and lack of capacity within the regulatory authorities.”
He however stated that the health care in the sub-region will receive a massive boost following the launch of the project.
Speaking at the event, Ghana’s Minister for Health, Dr. Agyemang-Mensah underscored the need for necessary legislation by all ECOWAS member countries to back the new project.
“Access to quality, safe and efficacious medicines anywhere, is a critical component of health care delivery and initiatives such as harmonization of medicines, processes and procedures across the West African sub region should be lauded and supported in our collective quest for adequate health coverage for all people in the region,” he stated.
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana