KRG regulates its medicine market

“All medicines coming into the Kurdistan Region through the official KRG border crossings are tested in the pharmaceutical quality control laboratories."
KRG's Ministry of Health (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
KRG's Ministry of Health (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Ninth Cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) rearranges the medicine market and make essential changes in its crackdown on illicit drugs imported from abroad. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in 2019 enhanced its efforts to regulate the medicine market and provide adequate and safe medicines to citizens, limiting access to substandard and falsified medications that continue to pose a threat to public safety, the Ministry of Health said in a readout.

Moreover, the Head of KRG’s Directorate of Pharmaceutical Products Quality Control, Dr. Sherwan Sadiq, said their initiative included reviewing guidelines on import control of pharmaceutical products, registering medicine warehouses, as well as quality evaluation of drugs sold at pharmacies.

“All medicines coming into the Kurdistan Region through the official KRG border crossings are tested in the pharmaceutical quality control laboratories. At first, we take samples from the importing company and inspect the quality of the medications based on European and American standards,” Dr. Sadiq said, according to KRG statement.

"We decided to select a number of reliable providers to avoid importing drugs from arbitrary providers," Dr. Sadiq then added.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has previously promised that the government would provide better quality medicine at a lower price to its citizens.

Read More: KRG announces new reform to procurement of medicine across Kurdistan: PM