The Minister of Health of the Nation, Adolfo Rubinstein, today led the meeting of high technical level that since yesterday maintain teams of the national health portfolio and representatives of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for the region, with the objective of moving forward jointly in the strategy of expanding access to low-cost medicines and establishing new criteria for coverage of medical technology, one of the main axes of management.

“Two of the ministry’s main objectives are related to expanding access to medicines based on price reductions and improving the coverage conditions of medical technologies, in relation to more objective, more explicit and more transparent criteria” , defined Rubinstein.

The official stressed in that sense that “PAHO is an institution with a lot of experience and expertise and this is a working meeting with the technical team of the agency and the technical teams of the ministry, the ANMAT and the different departments that work in these issues, to agree on the strategies to improve those objectives, “he said after referring that the meeting also served to analyze the guidelines related to the registration, authorization and control of medicines.

For more information go to https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/con-apoyo-de-la-ops-argentina-avanza-en-la-estrategia-para-ampliar-el-acceso-medicamentos

El Salvador receives experts from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) for the process of reevaluation of the country’s Pharmaceutical Regulatory System, within the framework of the certification process, whose objective is to reach Level IV, granted by this international organization.
This evaluation is carried out from July 17 to 20 at the facilities of the National Directorate of Medicines (DNM). In this stage, the modules referring to the National Pharmacovigilance System, integrated by the MINSAL and the DNM, are evaluated.

Among the appointed evaluators is Dr. José Peña, leader of the evaluation team, Dr. Ariel Arias, pharmacovigilance expert of Health Canada and Dr. Murilo Freitas, regional advisor of PAHO. At the opening ceremony were present the heads of the two institutions involved, Dr. Violeta Menjívar, Minister of Health, Dr. Julio Robles Ticas, Deputy Minister of Health Services, Dr. Leonor Morales de Acosta, National Director of Drugs and Dr. Hilda Leal, health services systems consultant for OPS, El Salvador.

For Dr. Menjívar this is a transcendental step in the development of the country and considers that a strong regulatory authority also strengthens the national pharmaceutical industry, guaranteeing the quality, safety and efficacy of medicines and giving it international prestige.

Dr. De Acosta expressed that: “Strengthening as a health agency has been possible thanks to the decided support of the Government of the Republic through President Salvador Sánchez Cerén, and also to the accompaniment by the holders of the Ministry of Health who have placed pharmaceutical regulation as a priority issue in the country’s agenda “.

The head of the National Directorate of Medicines also thanked the support that other countries have given El Salvador, to strengthen its regulatory powers, including: Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, among others.

“The horizon of all our actions is the health of the population, guaranteeing safe, effective, quality medicines at a fair price” and “we are ready for the re-evaluation of the Regulatory System” concluded Dr. de Acosta.
More information through the link in Spanish http://www.medicamentos.gob.sv/index.php/es/secciones-m/noticias-dnm/269-proceso-de-reevaluacion

In the context of the convention called “Access, Monitoring and Economic Regulation of the Medicines Market, including Antibiotics”, organized on the initiative of the Secretariat of the Chamber of Regulation of the Medicines Market (SCMED) of ANVISA, with the collaboration of PAHO Brazil, and carried out at the PAHO / WHO facilities in Brasilia, on July 2 and 3, 2018.

Source in Spanish: http://www.medicamentos.gob.sv/index.php/es/secciones-m/noticias-dnm/268-dnm-participa-en-la-convencion

The Essential Medicines and Health Products (EMP) annual report presents highlights of results and the impact on access to quality medicines, vaccines and other health products in 2017, thanks to fruitful collaboration with all partners. Developed by the Access to Medicines, Vaccines and Pharmaceuticals cluster, the report also gives a brief overview of future plans to ensure our active contribution to the achievement of universal health coverage, which is a main priority for WHO under the SDG agenda.

To access the report click here