Nottingham-based Food and Drug Analytical Services Ltd (FDAS) has won a contract with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to improve the quality of medicine available in the region.
Nechirvan Barzani, prime minister of Kurdistan, the semi-autonomous northern region of Iraq, joined the KRG Ministry of Health to announce the partnership.
The agreement comes as part of ongoing efforts to prevent the import and distribution of counterfeit products to the local market.
Speaking at the event, Barzani praised efforts that the Ministry of Health has recently made to address this issue and highlighted the important role that the Iraqi government and neighbouring countries can play in helping to address it.
"We want to partner with the international community in preventing the circulation of these products. This agreement will provide our people the tools and skills needed to create self-sustainability and ensure the well-being of our citizens," he said.
The Ministry of Health has campaigned for public awareness regarding counterfeit medicine and has tasked various investigation committees to inspect products already in the region.
"Products entering the country must be approved by the quality control of the Iraqi authorities or the newly established quality control system being implemented by the KRG Ministry of Health,” Minister of Health Dr Rekawt Hama Rasheed said.
Minister Rasheed also announced that drugs processed and approved by FDAS would have a universal pricing mechanism.
According to the agreement, FDAS will work closely with the KRG Ministry of Health to train and strengthen the capacity of the Kurdistan Medicine Control Agency, whose objectives include: improving health-related policies, providing safe and effective imports of medicine, and the promotion of research and development.
Sources: KRG
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