Minister to pharma firms: Apply for approval for products in advance

Minister to pharma firms: Apply for approval for products in advance

ABU DHABI / WAM

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has advised international pharmaceutical companies to apply for marketing approval for their products in the UAE before being approved in the manufacturing country, according to a senior official. This allows pre-study of the file to issue the marketing approval in the UAE for innovative products and rare medicines once they are approved by one of the reference authorities, as was the case with the GSK’s Sotrovimab drug for the treatment of some cases of Covid-19, and Amgen’s LUMAKRAS for the treatment of advanced lung cancer, said Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing, and Chairperson of the Pharmaceutical Board of trustees. He was presiding over the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees of the pharmaceutical sector in the UAE, via video conference, said a MoHAP press release. According to the ministerial resolution, local factories can start manufacturing procedures and apply for marketing approval for similar products during the two years preceding the end of the protection period for the innovative product, Al Amiri noted. Al Amiri called on local factories to tap into this opportunity to market their products in the country as