Africa-Press – Gambia. Hon. Amadou Camara, Chairperson of the National Assembly Select Committee on Health, Refugees, Disasters, and Humanitarian Relief, on Tuesday formally moved a motion for the Second Reading of the Medicines and Related Products (Amendment) Bill 2025.
Presenting the bill, Hon. Camara explained that the amendment seeks to address a critical gap in the Medicines and Related Products Act 2014, particularly regarding the registration of medical commodities. He noted that the existing framework significantly limits the registration of medicines already approved by regulatory authorities in Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other jurisdictions with robust quality assurance systems.
“Stakeholders undergo insufferable measures to register products from certain countries because the manufacturers there prioritize registration in high-population nations to ensure early returns on investment. They only find profits in registration in countries with large consumption populations where the turnover is profitable,” he said.
He emphasized that for a small economy like The Gambia, the current one-phase value system renders the potential revenue for manufacturers importing such products unappealing. As a result, many manufacturers are reluctant to undergo the burdensome and lengthy registration process. The proposed amendment seeks to address this challenge by mitigating the risk of a shortage of quality medicines—particularly essential and life-saving drugs—due to limited manufacturer participation.
During the debate on the bill’s merits, the Honorable Member for Upper Fulladu West seconded the motion, underscoring the urgency of its passage.
“Medicines will come to the country, but they will not be in the market, so coming up with this bill, I think, is very timely, and then I am sure when this thing is passed at the right time there will be nothing like a shortage of drugs in this country,” he stated.
The Hon. Member for Foni Bondali echoed this sentiment, describing the bill as one of the most significant amendments brought before the Assembly.
“Health is everybody’s business; I can say this is one of the most important bills or amendments that is made in this Assembly; this is not like medicine or whatsoever coming from any other country, but it will come from countries that have highly regulated bodies that look in that aspect,” he asserted.
Members also commended the Select Committee’s proactive role, particularly in response to the recent Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) crisis. The Hon. Member for Kiang West acknowledged the committee’s swift action following the outbreak, which resulted in an extraordinary session and investigative report.
“When AKI issue was raised in the country, an extraordinary session was called and an investigation was launched, and they came up with a report, so the committee saw it upon themselves without relaxing, they say, having set aside the resolution, what can we do as a committee, and they come up with a committee bill?” he asked.
He added that “This is what the committee has done; aside from the resolutions of the National Assembly, the committee has tasked themselves to see how best they address these things without leaving everything in the hands of the executives,” he said.
During the session, the Member for Upper Saloum raised a question about the cause of the AKI incident, asking whether the contaminated medicines were directly responsible.
In response, Hon. Camara clarified that the matter remains under judicial review. However, he referenced the committee’s investigative report, which concluded that the AKI cases were linked to contaminated medicines imported by Atlantic Pharmaceuticals and manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited of India.
“The matter is before the courts, and this committee submitted a report here that was adopted by this August Parliament, and our conclusion stated, and I read that having received some evidence from different stakeholders both in the public and private sectors, including parents of the victims of the AKI, the Select Committee concludes that all the cases of AKI are linked to the consumption of the contaminated medical products imported by Atlantic Pharmaceuticals and manufactured by Median Pharmaceutical Limited India,” Camara stated.
He added that “the actual cause of death of these children is still under scientific investigations as causality tests are currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Health and Partners,” he said.
He reaffirmed that all medicines and related products imported into The Gambia must be registered. However, he noted that the proposed listing mechanism would offer a more flexible option for essential products, particularly in emergencies.
“As we currently have all medicines and graded products imported to the country must be registered, and there is a process for registration, so what we are doing here is to give room for another alternative that we call listing. Listing is like semi-registration, but they wouldn’t ask you for those different doses and so on because the registration process is very tedious,” he explained.
The debate continues as the National Assembly considers the bill’s broader implications for public health, regulatory reform, and pharmaceutical access in The Gambia.
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