RIYADH: The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has stepped up measures to ensure the availability of drugs and pharmaceuticals during the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
As well as checking stockpiles, the authority has begun issuing immediate approvals to applications for the registration, manufacture and import of pharmaceuticals and sterilizers and has tightened procedures to monitor for any possible shortages caused by disruption to global supplies.
Officials are also maintaining checks on the availability of drugs for use in the treatment of the COVID-19 disease, in collaboration with the Saudi National Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other measures being taken by the authority to tackle the pandemic, include receiving regular reports from national and international health agencies and manufacturers on drug availability, and developing an integrated plan to reduce the impact of any global shortage of drugs on the Kingdom’s stocks.
The SFDA has also increased communications with its dealers, distributors and pharmacies to help determine available quantities of medical supplies used in slowing the spread of the virus and has moved to ensure all sterilizer products conform with specifications approved by the authority.
