Sri Lanka (The Island) - Eighty per cent of medicines that were imported to Sri Lanka were not used by other countries, Pharmacist of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) Gopi Krishantha de Silva, yesterday, informed the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) probing allegations of large scale corruption between January 15, 2015, and December 31, 2018.
Chairman of PCoI retired Supreme Court Judge Upali Abeyrathne told the witness that the Commission had been aware of such matters and that they took it very seriously. "In Sri Lanka, a lot of substandard drugs are being sold at expensive rates. Most of the drugs that are imported here won’t be accepted in other countries. These drugs are unhealthy for patients," Chairman Abeyrathne told the PCoI.
The PCoI also heard that the controversial Russian cancer drug had been registered with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and not with the Russian Medicines Regulatory Authority.
When the Attorney General’s Department representative, assisting the PCoI, questioned the witness on the certification which NMRA had obtained as regards that drug, Silva produced a document which had been given by the local agent. The letter stated that the Russian government had not provided the Certificate of Pharmaceutical Products (COPP) for the drug.
The witness also produced a letter which had been issued by Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva of Cosmetic, Devices and Drugs Authority, which had played role of the NMRA before 2015; it said that the particular medicine had no export history for the past three years.
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