RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA) has demanded that the entire process of submission of cases by the pharmaceutical companies for registration and price increase of medicines should be made online to facilitate the industry and for preventing corruption in the system.

PPPMA central chairman Dr Kaiser Waheed made this demand as he was one of the speakers at launching of a software system by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) at the DRAP office in Karachi the other day. The software named Drap-Team is aimed at online tracking, evaluation, and monitoring of functioning of both the pharmaceutical firms and Drap field offices in the country.

Dr Waheed cautiously welcomed launching of the software system saying that it was premature on the part of the drug sector regulator to do such an effort until and unless all the processes and subjects of Drap related to the Pharma industry was made available online.

He said it was not plausible on the part of the Drap to run a software programme in isolation without making available its entire system online for the applicants of different cases of medicines on behalf of the industry.

“Our biggest issue is that a large part of industry in Pakistan is not so technically competent that it could acquire such a technology on its own. Therefore, this process will take considerable time,” he said.

So far the time being the adoption of this software programme by the industry should be done on a voluntary basis rather than adopting this system on a mandatory basis, said the PPMA chairman.

“Our industry wants that the submission of dossiers and documents for registration and price increase of medicines could be done online as going to Islamabad for the purpose and then doing follow-ups of this procedure is quite a cumbersome task for the industry people,” he said.

He said that instances of corruption in the systems of Drap would be minimized with making online the process for submitting cases by the industry for registration and price increase of medicines.

Drap Chief Executive Officer Dr. Muhammad Aslam who launched the software said that at present the drug industry regulator had to depend on manual operations and working of the organization.

He expressed gratitude for the help extended by State Health Minister Saira Afzal Tarar, Federal Secretary for National Health Services Ayub Sheikh, and other officials concerned of Drap for achieving the capability to use the software system for online tracking and monitoring of both the field Drap offices and Pharma companies in the country.

This software on one hand would not only reduce the processing time of the various clearance cases for import and export of pharmaceutical products, but would also allow assessment of reporting system and would bring transparency, efficiency and accountability as well in the system; said the Drap CEO.

He further said that at initial stage the software had been successfully installed and was working at DRAP office in Lahore.

Dr Sheikh Akhtar Hussain, Director Quality Assurance and Lab Testing of Drap in Islamabad, on the occasion gave a detailed briefing on working and advantages of the software being launched.