A recently signed strategic partnership between UAE’s Ministry of Health and international pharmaceutical firms has resulted in control of drug prices, a top government official said.

The partnership is an innovative lever in controlling the prices of medicines and managing the pharmaceutical sector, explained Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for the UAE Ministry of Health’s Public Policy and Licensing Sector and Vice President of the Drug Pricing and Registration Higher Committee.

The formulation a national pharmaceutical information system includes pharmaceutical media and the economics of medicine according to the results of a pharmaceutical industry survey carried out by the Ministry’s Research Teams.

Dr Al Amiri expressed these views during the meeting which took place in his office with Dr Jeff Kambrisos, CEO – Mena, MSD Pharmaceutical, Gehan Batayneh, director of Policy and Government Relations, Company, and Mazen Tarouty, general manager, MSD Gulf. The company has branches in 140 countries around the world.

Dr Al Amiri said that the UAE has succeeded in attracting international pharmaceutical companies especially the vital technologies, having established contractual partnerships with market leaders such as Julphar, Neopharma, Medpharma, and Global Pharma.

This has not only enabled the production of innovative medicines in the country but has also ensured the quality of drugs across the supply chain. Taking advantage of the UAE’s infrastructure, regulations and legislation and the strong support of the country’s wise leadership, these companies have invested in the local pharmaceutical sector in line with the Ministry of Health’s vision to enhance community partnership.

Global pharmaceutical companies have positively responded to the Ministry of Health’s initiatives to reduce the prices of medicines in accordance with their strategic partnerships. They are willing to provide drugs at lower costs without compromising on quality and effectiveness.

The Ministry plans to approve the production of medicines using biotechnology for the cure of complex hormonal problems as well as encourage research on the results of stem cell therapy. It also proposes to localize drug manufacturing technology and establish science and pharmaceutical research funds as incubators for innovation.

Furthermore, the Ministry will launch specialized courses in medical colleges and provide training opportunities to pharmacy students to expand the scope in graduate studies with specialization in clinical pharmacology. – TradeArabia News Service