Health Ministry to support indigenously developed hepatitis drug

[Naveed Yaseen]

The Ministry of Health will support the indigenously manufactured drug ‘Interferon’ developed by the National Centre of Excellence and Applied Molecular Biology, Lahore, for treatment of hepatitis.

However, the ministry will extend its support if the drug qualifies on the national and international and WHO criteria.

A decision to this effect was taken in a meeting between Minister for Health Mir Aijaz Husain Jakhrani and Minister for Science and Technology Azam Khan Swati here on Wednesday.

The meeting was also attended by the secretaries of the two ministries.

The indigenous drug, if granted authorisation for marketing by the Ministry of Health, may reduce the existing cost of treatment of Hepatitis by one-fourth.

A six-member committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Director General Health Dr. Rashida Jooma to expedite the evaluation and quality qualification process.

Secretary (Health) Khushnood Lashahri informed the meeting that new legislation is underway to harmonise the quality standards of laboratory diagnostic reports for correct assessment of disease conditions. The outcome will be submitted before the federal Cabinet very soon.

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