2023-04-27 19:00:11
- The first countries to join the Regulatory Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Latin America and the Caribbean are Colombia, Cuba and Mexico.
- In addition, Brazil, Argentina and Chile were invited to be part of this initiative.
- The following face-to-face meetings will be in May 2023 in Bogotá, Colombia and in June 2023 in Havana, Cuba.
If something has been shown, it is that unity is strength. The sum of individual efforts generates better group results. With this in mind, the main authorities of the region signed an agreement to create the first Regulatory Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Latin America and the Caribbean (Amlac).
Who make it up?
In this case the participants are the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris) of Mexico; the National Institute for Food and Drug Surveillance (Invima) of Colombia; and the Center for the State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (Cecmed) of Cuba.
At this meeting, the representatives of the three countries pledged to work together to promote health self-sufficiency in the region.
The Declaration was made in acapulco and recognizes the challenges that Latin America and the Caribbean face in the health, productive, economic and social spheres, especially in times of emergency such as the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
For this reason, the creation of the Regulatory Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Latin America and the Caribbean as a mechanism to contribute to regional integration through harmonization and convergence in health regulations, in favor of access to safe, effective and quality medicines and medical devices.
Other countries could join the Agency
Besides, the The Acapulco Declaration invited the national regulatory authorities of regional reference from Argentina, Brazil and Chile to join this initiative. He also summoned the South Centre, an intergovernmental organization of developing countries to which Colombia and Cuba belong, to add its technical and political support on the international stage.
Likewise, it was agreed to keep the pro-tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (PPT-Celac) duly informed about the process of establishing the Regulatory Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices of Latin America and the Caribbeanin order to promote a broad exchange of knowledge and receive contributions from interested member countries.
One of the main strategies of the new Agency is to implement the health self-sufficiency plan designed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal). In this case, it was made known during the Celac 2021 summit, through a solidarity alliance between Invima, Cecmed and Cofepris.
The Federal Secretary of Health of Mexico, Jorge Alcocer Varelahighlighted the importance of the signing of the Acapulco Declaration, as a milestone that will contribute to achieving the goals of sanitary self-sufficiency among the nations of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“The resources of this region must be managed and used to meet the needs of its peoples. This ambition for regional health self-sufficiency is of particular importance in our societies plagued by profound inequality”.
For his part, the head of Cofepris, Alejandro Svarch Perezpointed out that when talking about health regulation, a vision generally prevails that conceives it as an instrument to solve market failures and an intervention mechanism to promote economic competitiveness.
“What we propose is a broader and multidisciplinary light, where health regulation is not a mercantile tool to be wielded in defense of capital, but rather an instrument that has a decisive impact on the drug supply chain in our region. Regardless of the urgency generated by a pandemic reality; It is one of the most mature responsibilities of the State”.
Meanwhile, it was established that the next face-to-face meetings will be in May 2023 in Bogotá, Colombia and in June 2023 in Havana, Cuba. The results of the work for the constitution of the agency will be presented to the rest of the members of Celac, under the coordination of the PPT.
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