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Department of Drug Administration (DDA) Holds Annual Review Meeting for Fiscal Year 2080/81

Kathmandu, October 6th, 2024

                 Annual Review on the progress and achievements of the Department of Drug Administration (DDA) during the fiscal year 2080/081 held on Sunday here in Kathmandu. Honorable Minister of Health and Population, Mr. Pradeep Poudel, graced the event as our chief Guest. Respected Secretary Mr. Hari Prasad Mainali, was special guest among dignitaries present along with key representatives from various government and stakeholder organizations. The objectives of the meeting were to review the progress, issues observed, challenges faced and opportunities for future improvements on the activities conducted during the fiscal year. This also designed to draw way forwards and strategies for future planning so that drug regulatory function are aligned as per the mandates of the drug act 2035 and the opportunities of the current advances in the regulatory sciences.

During the opening session, Director General Mr. Narayan Prasad Dhakal briefed on the organization and activity progress of the department, highlighting key milestones achieved in drug regulation, quality assurance, and safety monitoring. He expressed sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Health and Population leadership for their unwavering support and guidance in its initiatives. He reiterated its commitment to working closely with the ministry and all stakeholders, seeking continued support for strengthening the country’s drug regulatory system in the future, mainly in the areas promulgation of new drug law, restructuring and capacitation the DDA functionaries, help develop medicines fair pricing mechanism, capacity enhancement and motivation of human resources working in the department.

In his address, Honorable Minister Mr. Pradip Paudel emphasized the importance of the medicines sector, stating, "The regulation of medicines is a vast and sensitive field, directly linked to the health of patients. We must not only ensure the availability of essential medicines but also evaluate the type of medicines provided based on the health needs of the citizens." He also called for enhanced domestic production of medicines and the need for transparent pricing mechanisms that benefit both suppliers and patients. The minister reaffirmed the Ministry’s full support for the DDA’s initiatives and advised conducting a brief Organization & Management (O & M) survey. He also opined that the price of medicines is generally becoming a public issue and seen as a major part of out-of-pocket expenditure in health, so need urgent attention from all regulatory agencies and stakeholders together to address such that prices of medicines are fairer and within reach of the entire population.

Secretary Mr. Hari Prasad Mainali echoed similar sentiments, stressing the need for timely amendments to acts and regulations to keep pace with the evolving health sector. He emphasized that all stakeholders must commit to delivering their services with honesty and integrity He strongly emphasized the need of every rank and file to observe their duty and responsibilities in order to meet the objectives of the organization, any unscrupulous behaviors are not accepted.

In the second session of the meeting, DDA’s regional offices and the National Medicine Laboratory (NML) presented their progress reports, focusing on issues and challenges faced across the country. The discussions centered on formulating strategic approaches to address these challenges and laying down a way forward for improved drug regulation and quality assurance in the coming years.

The representatives from various health and pharmaceutical associations also shared their insights and suggestions during the meeting. The General Secretary of the Medicine Importers Association Nepal (MIAN), Mr. Pawan Acharya who also represented Nepal Chemist and Druggist Association (NCDA), highlighted the current market situation, noting that transactions of medicines within the country amounted to around 80 billion and emphasized the need for more human resources in the DDA, alongside advocating for a scientific basis for medicine pricing. Mr. Sumit Chandra Shrestha from the Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal (APPON) pointed out the necessity of addressing the availability and pricing of patented medicines, especially as Nepal transitions from an underdeveloped to a developing nation. Similarly, Dr. Anil Bikram Karki from the Nepal Medical Association (NMA) underscored the challenges the country may face in access to patented medicines post-LDC graduation and called for the establishment of provincial drug testing laboratories to ensure consistent quality across regions. Representatives from various other professional organization like NPA, NVCDA, and NMC were among those present during the event.

The meeting concluded with a firm resolution from all participants of the department to correct the shortcomings, delve into better regulatory environment, realizing the challenges we face and affirm with commitment to continue collaborating in addressing the challenges ahead. The DDA extended its sincere thanks to the hon’ble Minister, Mr. Pradeep Poudel for his valuable yet insightful guidance, respected secretary, Mr. Hari Mainali and the entire leadership of the ministry of Health and Population leadership for their continued support and all stakeholder associations and councils’ representatives for their good thoughts and commitment to work together to build better regulatory environment in the country.

Finally, the entire department is humbled by all who graced the event and shared their thoughts and looking forward to further collaboration in strengthening Nepal’s drug regulatory framework and ensuring the safety and availability of quality, safe, efficacious and affordable medicines for all citizens.