E-DRUG: Drug regulation changes in Canada (3)
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I do not think there are any global pros and cons of the
two situations schematically presented by Joel Lexchin.
There may be very different pros and cons in the different
national contexts. I tend to think that whichever
administrative and organizational setup that permits the
existance of a functioning, efficient, transparent,
independent DRA is acceptable regardless of whether the DRA
is part of Ministry Of Health or not.
I believe the questions to ask are:
What should a DRA be doing?
Is our national DRA doing this?
What problems does it have?
How can these problems be solved?
What are the public health implications of these problems or
of the DRA not doing all what we believe it should?
Then, one may find that being with the MOH or elsewhere is
part of the solution and discuss this matter having clearer, context-specific, reference points.
Valerio Reggi
Operational Drug Registration Unit
Division of Drug Management and Policies
WHO
Geneva, Switzerland
Email: reggiv@who.ch
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