• Says if drugs fail required standards, their use is suspended followed by a review
• Calls for institutions to ensure proper storage conditions are met for medicines

The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) stated that in cases where there is doubt about the quality of a certain medicine, the use of such medicines is immediately suspended for the benefit of patients, and if it is confirmed after further tests that they are not harmful, instructions will be given for their re-use.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, NMRA Chairperson Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama said that when doubts arise, the use of the medicine is first suspended and additional laboratory tests are carried out. “Further action will depend on the outcome of those tests. If the drugs fail to meet the required standards, we will initially call for explanations from the relevant importers and take appropriate measures. If their quality is confirmed, we will instruct for their re-use,” he said.

Responding to questions on medicines that are destroyed due to improper storage during the withdrawal period, he said: “There is nothing that can be done in such cases. The relevant institutions should ensure proper storage."

Dr. Wijewickrama’s comments come in the wake of the Medical and Civil Rights Professional Association of Doctors (MCPA) recently lodging a complaint with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), calling for an inquiry into the alleged economic losses caused by the withdrawal and later reintroduction of medicines by the NMRA.

In the complaint, MCPA President Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa claimed that the NMRA’s Quality Control Laboratory has repeatedly withdrawn certain medicines, only to later approve them again. He alleged that this practice has resulted in substantial financial losses, as large quantities of medicines remain unused during the withdrawal period.