In partnership with the United States, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan has launched an innovative online platform to efficiently evaluate the safety and effectiveness of medicines.
A USAID spokesperson says both the countries worked together to create the platform to comply with international pharmaceutical standards.
Named the Pakistan Integrated Regulatory Information Management System (PIRIMS), the platform will integrate the registration, inspection, licensing, and monitoring of approved medicines.
As a result, regulators can now effectively monitor medicines in the development and approval processes, and pharmaceutical companies would be able to more quickly and easily apply for permission to produce medicine.
In the past, it could take several years and cost millions of rupees for a pharmaceutical company to register a drug. Now that time and cost would be greatly reduced, allowing Pakistani companies to bring safe, effective medicines to market more quickly and less expensively.
This partnership will allow Pakistan to increase its participation in the international pharmaceutical market and apply for Level Three Compliance with the World Health Organization’s Global Benchmarking Tool, a globally accepted model to evaluate the maturity of a country’s regulatory framework.
Besides, the DRAP functioning will allow Pakistan to apply for membership in the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme, an international cooperative to standardize pharmaceutical standards.
“We are pleased to partner with the Government of Pakistan to ensure this system complies with international standards, strengthening health services across the country,” said USAID Deputy Mission Director Michael Nehrbass.
“Pakistan already has one of the best laboratory networks in the region as a result of our work together, and this new capability will likely lead to further development and international investment in the pharmaceutical industry.”
