Jeddah (UNA) – The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), through its educational arm, the Food and Drug Academy, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), organized a virtual workshop in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO). This workshop is in line with the emphasis placed on the third meeting of the heads of national drug regulatory authorities in OIC member states, the Riyadh Declaration, regarding enhancing cooperation and developing regulatory systems in member states. The workshop was attended by 200 specialists from 57 OIC member states.
The workshop was titled "Strengthening Regulatory Systems: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority's Journey Towards Achieving Level 4 and the Highest Maturity Level According to the WHO Global Benchmarking Tool: Achievements and Lessons Learned." This tool is a unified global standard for evaluating national regulatory systems for medicines and vaccines.
During the workshop, the authority reviewed its experience in developing its regulatory systems to ensure timely access to high-quality medicines and address the challenges of counterfeit and substandard medicines. It's worth noting that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, achieved the highest rating within this global tool, the fourth maturity level, making it the first country in the region and the third country worldwide to achieve this rating. This level qualifies the regulatory body to be a reliable reference in decisions regarding the approval of medical products.
The workshop also explained the structure and levels of the global tool, presented key international experiences, and held an open discussion in which participants exchanged their experiences and presented practical solutions and opportunities for technical cooperation.
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