Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa has acknowledged that the drug testing process at the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) laboratory has limitations, as authorities respond to the deaths of two people and severe reactions in others linked to a contaminated anti-nausea injection.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said that Minister Jayatissa met with senior officials from the NMRA, Medical Research Institute, Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTEC), Sri Lanka Institute of Biotechnology (SLIBTEC), Industrial Technology Institute (ITI), and the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) to discuss ways to streamline and expand drug testing.
The Minister stressed the importance of improving the capacity of existing government-owned facilities while a permanent solution is developed.
He also called for measures to address problematic medicines without disrupting the overall supply of essential drugs.
The government temporarily halted the use of Ondansetron, an injectable anti-nausea medication from an Indian manufacturer, along with nine other injectable drugs from the same company, following reports of adverse reactions.
The deaths and severe reactions prompted heightened scrutiny of the NMRA’s testing and regulatory procedures.
Officials said the meeting focused on exploring ways to better utilize available resources across laboratories to strengthen testing and prevent similar incidents in the future.
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