The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Ghana has successfully registered the first vector control product under the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborative Registration Procedure (CRP). The FDA was able to complete a national registration process for a long-acting insecticide-treated mosquito net—a crucial tool to prevent malaria, within an impressive timeline of just 28 working days under the CRP.
Launched as a pilot in January 2024, the WHO CRP for vector control products involves 6 participating countries (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Tanzania). It was designed to streamline the product registration process through voluntary agreements between national regulatory authorities (NRAs) and product manufacturers. By leveraging WHO prequalification assessment reports, NRAs can expedite their regulatory reviews, aiming for a decision within 90 working days. This ensures that essential products are made available to the public more swiftly.
The pilot phase continues with the remaining five countries, and broader roll-out is expected next year, following the finalization of the draft guidelines for the procedure. Once fully implemented, more member states will benefit from the accelerated registration process.
The CRP offers tangible benefits to patients by speeding up access to vector control products that meet WHO standards and are deemed suitable for procurement by UN agencies and WHO Member States. This process is particularly valuable in emergency situations where rapid approval is critical.
Manufacturers of WHO-prequalified vector control products also stand to benefit from the procedure, gaining faster and more harmonized regulatory approvals across participating countries. The CRP helps alleviate the burden of additional national inspections and evaluations, facilitating smoother and more efficient regulatory processes in order to bring access to such life-saving tools faster in communities with urgent need.