Baghdad: Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani directed the development of partnerships between the public and private sectors in the pharmaceutical industry.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, a statement from al-Sudani’s media office stated that he chaired a meeting to follow up on the progress of the pharmaceutical industry localization program. The meeting, held on Sunday, was attended by the Minister of Health, relevant advisors, private sector pharmaceutical producers, and a representative of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association.

The meeting reviewed the progress made in national pharmaceutical production, with a particular focus on expanding cancer treatment production. Discussions were held on developing successful partnerships between the private and public sectors and addressing the obstacles facing the implementation of several pharmaceutical projects.

Al-Sudani received a comprehensive presentation on development steps and discussed the initial standards adopted by the Ministry o
f Health. The meeting also tackled issues related to initial and final drug registration and accreditation, as well as methods to achieve high performance and specifications for locally produced drugs in line with both Iraqi and international standards.

The Prime Minister directed producing companies to maintain continuous communication with government agencies to find practical solutions to enhance production levels and implement contracts with the Ministry of Health effectively. The aim is to address obstacles, amend laws, and harmonize decisions that support the Iraqi pharmaceutical industry.

The meeting also covered enhancing production schedules, competition within the production of a single drug, promoting the national pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical pricing, contract implementation clauses, and the support and protection of pharmaceutical products, as well as insuring the production of Iraqi factories.