Following the Board of Directors of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) deciding to remove Dr.. Vijith Gunasekera as its Director General (DG) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), he has been recalled to the Ministry of Health.
Sources within the NMRA told The Daily Morning yesterday (8) that its Director Board had decided to remove Dr. Gunasekera on Tuesday (7). With the said decision, the sources stated that he (Dr. Gunasekera) had been recalled to the Ministry.
It is also learnt that senior scientist and Acting Director of the National Medicines Quality Assurance Laboratory and NMRA Management Team member, D.D. Bulathsinhala has been appointed as the NMRA’s Acting CEO. The sources said that the NMRA would soon publish the relevant advertisements to select a new CEO.
The NMRA has decided to remove Dr. Gunasekera in the wake of several allegations that have been levelled against him over the past. The latest allegation against him is that he had attempted to destroy some documents belonging to the NMRA.
In addition, on 31 October, the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court enforced foreign travel bans on three including Dr. Gunasekera, the Director of the Medical Supplies Division of the Ministry Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake, and the Owner of the Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt.) Ltd. Company Sugath Janaka Fernando alias “Aruna Deepthi” over the incident of a batch of human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) having been supplied to the health sector by submitting forged documents. The product, which was said to have been manufactured by Livealth Biopharma Pvt. Ltd., India, was imported by a local medicine supplier called Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt.) Ltd. However, the India based manufacturer has denied having anything to do with this fraudulent activity and has communicated to the NMRA that it had neither manufactured, supplied nor exported this product to any party. It was found that funds amounting to Rs. 130 million had been misappropriated through the unlawful importation of 22,500 vials of IVIG.
NMRA's newly appointed Chairman, Dr.. Ananda Wijewickrama was not available for comment.
When The Daily Morning recently questioned Ministry Secretary Janaka Sri ChanDr.aguptha as to whether the Ministry would inquire into the alleged incident of NMRA documents having been destroyed by Dr.. Gunasekera, he said that it is the NMRA that should look into the matter.