The Ministry of Health stated that a system has been prepared in coordination with the relevant institutions to verify whether documents submitted by pharmaceutical drug-importing companies are authentic.

Recent incidents of a local drug supplier named Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt.) Ltd. importing a batch of human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and another batch of Rituximab injection, which is administered to cancer patients, led to great controversy in the recent past.

Against this backdrop, Secretary to the Ministry Janaka Sri Chandraguptha told The Daily Morning that they had formulated a mechanism to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. “We have informed the relevant institutions regarding how to act in relation to these matters. In addition, we have prepared a system to verify the authenticity of documents submitted by companies that import drugs.”

Earlier this month (October), the National Medicines Regulatory Authority stated that a batch of IVIG imported to Sri Lanka from India had been suspended from use. This was following the revelation that the relevant local supplier, Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt.) Ltd., had imported it by submitting forged documents for Customs clearance.

Meanwhile, when queried as to whether the ministry would prepare any new programme to regulate companies that import drugs into the country in light of the recent incidents, Chandraguptha said last week that a new circular in that regard would be issued in the coming days.