Executive to allow drugs from India, China and other sources to enter local market – by policy and not through Parliament – igniting suspicion
Concerns are being expressed about a move by the Cabinet to procure drugs
from non-conventional source markets.
According to this week’s Cabinet Notes, the Executive agreed that the legal
authority of the Pharmaceutical Council will have to be expanded in order to
accommodate the new markets.
Reportedly, this is to allow medicines from jurisdictions other than the three
main suppliers to be accepted for lawful use in Antigua and Barbuda.
According to the Notes, “The drug approval agencies of the United States, the
United Kingdom and Canada are relied upon exclusively; but, other
jurisdictions are also becoming exporters of pharmaceuticals and other
systems for curing diseases.”
It adds that stem-cell treatments and other medicines coming out of China and
India, among other places, are expected to form part of a wide selection from
which residents can choose.
However, amending the Council’s authority reportedly is to be effected by
policy and not by parliamentary approval – an announcement that has
provoked suspicion about the Administration’s motives.
The change is believed to be prompted by “an investor decision,” a well-placed
source says, while other residents suspect it is in response to a REAL News
report that a Chinese ointment dispensed at the community clinics had been
illegally “procured” by Minister of Health Sir Molwyn Joseph.
Meanwhile, many locals are expressing concern about the safety and
manufacturing procedures in some of these alternative countries, particularly
India. They say that India has become known for its many unsanitary
practices in food production and preparation, many of which have been
chronicled on social-media platforms.
Additionally, many are worried that the factories in which these
pharmaceuticals will be produced might not employ the strict oversight of the
Western regulatory agencies, which ensure that proper procedures and safe
practices are observed.
One woman describes this decision by the Cabinet as “sad.” This is especially
so, another resident says, given the low uptake on the Chinese-made
Sinopharm, a drug designed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
