MFDA Gives Pharmacies Six Months to Meet New Essential Medicine Requirements
- MFDA gave existing pharmacies six months to stock at least 80 percent of required medicines under a new two-tier classification system.
- New pharmacies must meet all medicine requirements for their assigned category before receiving an operating licence.
- The move aims to address recurring medicine shortages amid ongoing concerns about access despite State Pharma's establishment.
The Maldives Food and Drug Authority has given existing pharmacies six months to meet new requirements on the availability of essential medicines under a two-tier pharmacy classification system.
The authority said it had reviewed and updated the list of medicines pharmacies are required to stock, with the aim of improving the public’s continued access to basic treatment.
Under the new system, pharmacies will be assigned to one of two categories and must maintain at least 80 percent of the medicines listed for their respective category within the six-month compliance period.
New pharmacies, meanwhile, will be required to meet all medicine requirements for their assigned category before receiving an operating licence.
Details of the classifications and medicine requirements are set out in the Guidelines on Minimum Requirements of Essential Medicines in Pharmacies. The guidelines will be available through the MFDA and Health Ministry websites, as well as the Dhirithi portal.
The change comes as the government seeks to address recurring medicine shortages through State Pharma, the company established to improve the supply of pharmaceuticals. Concerns persist, however, over whether access to essential medicines has sufficiently improved since its establishment.
