The UAE's Ministry of Health & Prevention (Mohap) has signed an agreement with GlobalPharma, a unit of French drugmaker Sanofi and a leading pharamaceutical company, to maintain a strategic stock of medicines and support crisis preparedness in the country.

The deal was signed by Dr Abdul Karim Abdullah Al Zarouni, the director of the Department of Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Operations at the ministry and Karine Labaky, the general manager at Globalpharma and Middle East head of Generics at Sanofi in the presence of Dr Amin Al Amiri, the assistant undersecretary of Public Health Policy and Licensing sector at the Mohap and Sanofi Middle East CEO Dr John Paul.

As per the agreement, the ministry will maintain a strategic inventory of medicines, to be utilized in case of crisis in alignment with the UAE government’s decision to make sure that all sectors are fully prepared to face emergencies or critical situations at all times.

Dr Amin said the key objective of Mohap is to enhance and protect public health by adopting innovative approaches and promoting a culture of proactivity and efficiency to secure optimal healthcare outcomes.

This can be achieved by building superior quality and safety systems, backed by effective policies, strong legislations and programs that evolve to meet the needs of communities in UAE. Participation and support from industry partners like GlobalPharma help in reinforcing and sustaining the country’s healthcare infrastructure, he noted.

Under this agreement, Global Pharma will provide medicine inventory and keep it permanently in quantities that cover the requirements for one year.

It will be responsible for the safety of the strategic medical stock by adhering to the principles of good storage and distribution of pharmaceuticals, remarked Labaky.

"GlobalPharma is committed to meeting health challenges in different ways such as driving effective approaches for managing healthcare costs, improving access to essential medicines, supporting local manufacturing of generics and contributing to strengthening UAE’s overall health economy," she added.-TradeArabia News Service