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Tuesday, November 13, 2012


Zardari urges pharma industry to strive for excellence

* President says DRA will ensure protection of interests of people and pharma industry

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Zardari on Monday urged the country’s pharmaceutical industry to acquire international standards of quality control and make the label “Made in Pakistan” a symbol of pride for the country.

Addressing a signing ceremony here at the Presidency to make the Drug Regulatory Authority Bill into a law, the president said that the act would ensure availability of safe and quality medical services at affordable prices to the people.

He said that the law would help prevent the sale of fake, sub-standard and non-registered medicines and stop hoarding by creating an autonomous drug regulatory authority.

The president gave his assent to the bill at the special ceremony, which was attended among others by Minister for National Regulations and Services Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, federal cabinet members, parliamentarians and representatives of the pharmaceutical companies.

President Zardari said that slain PPP chairperson Zulfikar Ali Bhutto promulgated the first Drug Act of 1976. The credit goes to the coalition government to establish for first time the Drug Regulatory Authority (DRA) in the country like the developed countries, he added.

He said that the DRA would ensure protection of the interests of the people and the pharma industry. He said that the industry had grown over the past decades and now it was time to take the next step in the technology.

The president stressed the need to broaden base for research and development and said that biotechnology was the engine of growth of the present century.

“Our pharma industry needs to harness this technology and the academia needs to work closely with the industry to ensure timely infusion of related knowledge.” app

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk


 

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