04 February 2017
Investors in the drug industry called on government departments to collaborate with them to help provide the market with needed medicines. Saudi Arabia imports annually medicines that are worth SR26 billion from different countries.

Mazen Batarjee, deputy chairman of the Jeddah Chmaber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), said that they have met with the officials from the Food and Drug Authority along with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties to discuss the main obstacles that investors face.

He clarified that they addressed issues like delay in taking samples to examine them and therefor food remains at the borders. He noted they also need further collaboration with government departments to get results of tests without delay. He also added that some investors demanded a clear method by which they can submit documents for customs clearance.

Investors also requested for the setting up of a smooth method by which they could get marketing permission and also added in their demand the need to increase this permission for five years period as opposed to the one year that’s currently given.

According to him Jeddah government departments have less authorization to solve some issues and that causes delay in the process. Another issue they raised in the meeting is the need for clear criteria that tables the goods as medical products for currently there are no clear criteria at the custom department by which they identify a product as a medical product or not leading to needless delays. Due to this some products are transferred back and forth between the custom department and the Food and Drug Authority.

Hisham Al-Jaddaei, CEO of the Food and Drug Authority, noted that they are going to take into consideration these issues and will evaluate them prior to a solution. He added that they have put in action number of electronic systems that shall help investors overcome the current obstacles.

He added that they have created a new electronic system for cosmetic products. This system, he clarified, shows investors how clearance and investigation measurements are done. He also noted that after investigating violating products they would inform the concerned authorities to take them out of the market and punish those selling them.

© The Saudi Gazette 2017