Support to regulatory authorities

National Medicines Regulatory Authorities and manufacturers face two challenges in ensuring the quality and safety of blood products and related in vitro diagnostic devices.

First, the risk of contamination through blood-borne pathogens like HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C which cause life threatening diseases world wide. Second, the difficulties in validating quality assurance systems due to the inherent variability of biological products.

National Regulatory Authorities need to be competent, independent, with strong political backing and have clear authority to develop and enforce appropriate regulations. They also need to interact closely with medical and scientific institutions and civil society organizations representing health care users and professionals in the countries.

Unfortunately, the National Regulatory Authorities in many countries often do not have this type of professional structure. Efforts should therefore be made to strengthen technical capacity and expertise of National Regulatory Authorities worldwide. Technical and regulatory guidance is provided on main topics in this Web Site (see left side). Information is also available in the Recommendations made by the International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities (ICDRA) that has served, since 1980, as a global forum to meet and discuss ways of strengthening collaboration.