ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan and Iranian Food and Drug Administration have decided to collaborate for cooperation and support in matters of mutual interest, especially the provision of lifesaving drugs.

The agreement came as an Iranian delegation of the government officials visited DRAP headquarters here to explore opportunities for mutual cooperation in the field of pharmaceutical manufacturing, availability of lifesaving drugs and vaccines, growth of medical devices industry, and provision of surgical items. Chief Executive Officer of DRAP Asim Rauf briefed the delegation about the potential and needs of Pakistan’s therapeutic goods industry.

The Iranian side showed confidence in starting a negotiation on the possible avenues of cooperation and to draw a road map for attaining the maximum benefit from the available products and drugs in both countries.

Both sides explored the possibilities of capacity enhancement through regulatory assessments, training and cooperation in getting international accreditation-Iran being a member of Pharmaceutical Inspection Cooperation/Scheme. Deliberations were also made that due to availability of certain pharmaceutical raw materials in very few countries like India and keeping in view the requirement of medicine in Pakistan and Iran, a joint mechanism is needed to be developed for self-sufficiency in manufacturing of medicines and vaccines.