Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) has been
directed to look into the possibilities of reducing evaluation and
registration time for medicine manufactured by domestic industry to
increase their business margin.
Health and Social Welfare Deputy Minister Steven Kebwe issued the
directives when he paid a visit to Shelly Pharmaceutical Limited at Keko
Pharmaceutical (1997), Tridea cosmetics Limited, Tanzania Breweries
Limited and Bakressa Food Industries Limited all within Dar es Salaam
Region.
He said currently the evaluation and registering of medicine
manufactured in the country take long time hence cause the manufacturers
to earn less revenues.
Dr Kebwe further said as a result the manufacturers failed to
employ workers whose taxes could be used as the government sources of
revenue.
He explained the aim of his tour was to oversee how the
government could assist local companies to produce commercially and
improve national revenues.
"I have ordered TFDA to review evaluation period and shorten the
time taken to register medicine manufactured by domestic industry. The
move will enable them to produce medicines in bulky thus increase their
business margin,” he said.
He however urged TFDA to hold regular inspection in all domestic
industries to ensure that quality of products is observed and health of
the consumers. He further said continuous inspection will help TFDA to
discover weaknesses and take promptly incase the manufacturers have
failed to meet all the qualifications needed. For his part, the TFDA
Director General Hiiti Sillo said his office will ensure that all the
directives by the ministry will be implemented accordingly.
He said the aim is to enable local industries to produce products at recommended standards as certified by TFDA itself and TBS.
On March 14 this year, the East African Community (EAC) member
states were in the process of harmonising the registration of human
drugs to allow their free movement and increase availability of safe,
efficacious and good quality essential medicines in the region.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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