USP strengthens ASEAN links

The US Pharmacopeia has signed a cooperative agreement with nine Southeast Asian countries as part of a drive to help improve the quality of medicines in the region.

The aim is to “strengthen capacities and certification status of national drug quality control laboratories” in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) block, said USP.

One of the pillars of the effort is the mutual development of ways to combat counterfeit and substandard medicines, said USP in a statement.

As part of the process officials from the countries - Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand - have formed an ASEAN Reference Materials Working Group (ARMWG) to focus on modern, international measurement standards for medicines in the region.

The agreement with USP is the culmination of discussions that started in 2008 with the aim of improving the production, precision and quality of ASEAN Reference Substances (ARS).

Other areas of potential collaboration under the agreement include working toward World Health Organization and International Organization for Standardisation (ISO) measurement standards for medicines; promoting ISO certification for ASEAN drug quality control laboratories; and support for joint studies and scientist exchange programmes.

Earlier this year USP implemented a similar programme with the national surveillance agency for medicines in Russia.