Quality Assurance for essential medicines
Regulatory control
WHO conducted an assessment of the regulatory capacity of the Philippines' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2012, to identify its strengths and weaknesses and provide recommendations. Technical support will be provided to FDA, to address the challenges identified in the survey.
Substandard medicines
WHO agreed to support FDA in its efforts towards a more stringent process of registration for medicines. WHO will also provide technical assistance in the development of a comprehensive methodology to monitor the quality of medicines sold in the Philippines' market.
Counterfeit medicines
The Philippines is an active member of the WHO Western Pacific Region Rapid Alert System (R.A.S.). The system was designed for countries to promptly and electronically share reports and alerts on counterfeits presence or risks. WHO RAS is now migrating to a global system. The Philipppines will be among the pilot countries to start with the new system in September 2012.