The Pharmacy and Medicines Regulatory Authority (PMRA) has commended Air Cargo Malawi Limited for launching a pharmaceutical service describing the development as a positive step towards improving healthcare outcomes for the country.

The new pharma service will see Air Cargo Malawi Limited in partnership with Emirates Airlines commence transportation of pharma products from Europe, the UAE, India and China to Malawi. Previously, Emirates did not allow Air Cargo Malawi to carry pharmaceutical products due to safety concerns as pharma products are considered high risk.

Speaking when he presided over the launch, PMRA Director General Mphatso Kawaye noted that the service launch is a significant milestone in ensuring the availability and quality of pharmaceutical products in the country.

“The launch of this service is a testament to the critical role that effective logistics plays in ensuring the availability and quality of pharmaceutical products, which subsequently assure key actors in the health sector that patients get the right treatment outcomes,” said Kawaye.

He described the pharmaceutical industry in Malawi as a very important partner in the implementation of the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP III), Malawi 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), all of which place much emphasis on universal health coverage with quality, available, equitable and affordable health care, on one hand, and efficient drug supply chain management through monitoring of quality of medicines and medical supplies, on the other.

Kawaye observed that the medicines regulatory environment in the country places immerse responsibility on pharmaceutical wholesalers as authorized importers of medicines, to make sure that the right medicine transportation requirements are met.

Added Kawaye: “Although the regulatory environment has placed this responsibility in the hands of the pharmaceutical wholesalers as importers, the quality assurance of products in transit including cold chain products is unfortunately not within their sphere of control.”

He then expressed optimism that the coming of Air Cargo Malawi Pharma Service will fill the gap and provide sustainable support to the importer in complying with the law as it relates to storage and transportation of temperature controlled pharmaceutical products.

He called on players in the pharmaceutical sector to complement the Air Cargo pharma service by ensuring that appropriate regulatory procedures are adhered to, both before and after the shipment of consignments.

Said Kawaye: “Let us realize that our proactive participation on the regulatory side partnered with Air Cargo Pharma’s expertise on the pharmaceutical handling side will create a highly efficient transportation solution for our temperature sensitive pharmaceutical products and contribute towards timely access to quality medicines for Malawians.”