During its visit on Sunday, an Iraqi delegation briefed the Food and Drug General Corporation on the institution’s experience in monitoring food and medicine, the legislation regulating its work, and its plans to deal with any challenges it may face.
The Director General of the Corporation, Dr. Nizar Mhaidat, said while hosting the delegation headed by the Head of the Iraqi Pharmacists Syndicate, Dr. Mustafa Al-Hiti, that the Corporation is governed by strong laws and legislation, and is characterized by judicial police and powers applied for oversight purposes.
He added that the technical committees of the institution make final decisions with the membership of specialists and experts from various relevant sectors, and continuously strive towards excellence and leadership, making it a reference, a source of information, and a role model.
He presented the institution’s procedures for registering medicines, pricing them, monitoring and inspecting them, and dispensing narcotic drugs and their preparations, pointing to the introduction of a prescription with security marks and control procedures for counterfeit and smuggled medicine.
He pointed out that the institution is in the process of adopting a tracking program for medicines, starting from the manufacturing process until they reach patients, to monitor them and follow up on the drug inventory. He called for building a drug control system and an Arab database to monitor the side effects of medicines, given the importance of pharmacovigilance in providing information about the side effects of medicines and analyzing them.
He stated that the Kingdom is one of the leading countries in the field of pharmaceutical studies at the regional level, and is the first Arab country to enact a special law for pharmaceutical studies since 2001 with the aim of organizing their conduct according to the international reference principles in this field.
The delegation was briefed on the institution’s role in classifying, registering and pricing medical supplies and devices, setting price ceilings and its role in registering tobacco and nicotine products, including electronic ones.
Muhidat stressed the Foundation’s readiness to provide its expertise to the Iraqi side for review and benefit from it, indicating the Foundation’s endeavor to move forward towards strengthening aspects of partnership in the field of medicines, and consolidating cooperation in the field of training and exchanging experiences.
For his part, Al-Hiti said that the visit came to learn about the Jordanian experience in establishing an institution concerned with food and drug control, and to study it well to benefit from it in establishing an institution similar to it in Iraq.
The delegation’s two-day visit includes tours and field visits to a number of Jordanian pharmaceutical companies, in addition to presentations made by the directors of the relevant directorates.
The delegation, which was hosted by the Foundation in coordination with Agon Company, included, in addition to the Head of the Iraqi Pharmacists Syndicate, Dr. Ismat Amer, Dr. Muhammad Al-Ukaili, and Dr. Khazal Al-Jubouri.
Petra