By Eman Alam
ISLAMABAD:Federal Minister for health Syed Mustafa Kamal, chaired a high-level meeting here at Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) on Monday to review ongoing reforms, regulatory advancements, and strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s pharmaceutical and vaccine landscape.
During the session, detailed briefings were given on the implementation progress of the Track and Trace System, particularly the introduction of 2D barcoding to enhance transparency and curb counterfeit medicines. The Minister also reviewed DRAP’s ongoing automation initiatives aimed at improving efficiency, transparency, and service delivery.
The meeting was attended by the Federal Secretary Health, Additional Secretary, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of DRAP, along with other senior officials, said a news release. The meeting assessed the post-approval roadmap following Pakistan’s National Vaccine Policy for local manufacturing, including progress on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indonesia. Discussions also covered advancements under the World Health Organization’s Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT) for National Regulatory Systems, as well as ongoing provincial institutional reforms.
The Federal Minister emphasized upon the importance of strong coordination with provincial governments for effective implementation of World Health Organization (WHO) benchmarking standards and stated that he would personally ensure enhanced intergovernmental collaboration.
Progress on the upgradation of the National Control Laboratory for Biologicals (NCLB) was also reviewed, along with updates on ongoing recruitment processes within DRAP.
Highlighting the significance of recent policy developments, Mr. Mustafa Kamal stated that Pakistan was firmly committed to achieving self-reliance in vaccine production. He noted that the approval of the National Vaccine Policy for local manufacturing marks a historic milestone, granting Pakistan the strategic direction and authority to locally manufacture vaccines.
“Pakistan is on the path to becoming self-sufficient in vaccine production in the near future,” the Minister said.
He further remarked that the reforms underway at DRAP are already yielding positive outcomes, reaffirming the government’s commitment to transforming DRAP into a regulatory authority that meets international standards.
He stressed upon the need to accelerate all necessary measures for achieving the World Health Organization’s Level 3 status. Attaining this status would enable Pakistani pharmaceutical products to access markets in up to 150 countries, significantly enhancing export potential, he remarked, adding, currently, Pakistan exports medicines to 51 countries.
The Minister concluded that these strategic advancements would not only boost Pakistan’s pharmaceutical exports but also contribute to strengthening the national economy.
