11th Conference of the Pan American Network on Drug Regulatory Harmonization begins in Mexico City

11th Conference of the Pan American Network on Drug Regulatory Harmonization begins in Mexico City

• Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer: Specialized training in regulatory sciences and innovations is crucial for regulatory agencies to meet each country's needs.
• Federal Commissioner Alejandro Svarch: We must establish an open and proactive dialogue on regulatory actions and propose a roadmap. Our goal is to protect everyone.
• Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena: This meeting enables us to exchange ideas to advance regulatory harmonization and ensure timely access to safe, effective medicines region-wide.
• PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa da Silva thanked Mexican authorities for hosting the first in-person conference since COVID-19.

The Health Ministry, through the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS); the Foreign Ministry; and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) inaugurated the 11th Conference of the Pan American Network on Drug Regulatory Harmonization (CPARF). The event brought together representatives from across the Americas and Caribbean.

The conference aims to achieve regulatory convergence and harmonization, benefiting public health in the 34 member countries of the Pan American Network on Drug Regulatory Harmonization (PANDRH). Participants are sharing experiences and addressing regional challenges to enhance supply chain integration.

At the inauguration, Health Secretary Jorge Alcocer highlighted how fragmented health services and lack of regional self-sufficiency weaken health systems, especially during crises like COVID-19. He stressed the need for specialized training in regulatory sciences and innovations to address each country's needs. He also emphasized promoting strategies to strengthen national and regional production of essential medicines through multidisciplinary collaboration.

COFEPRIS head Alejandro Svarch noted that the pandemic forced all countries in the region to modify their regulatory processes, making international cooperation crucial. He outlined three key actions to revitalize the PANDRH Network: harmonize requirements and regulations for broader and more expeditious access to approved supplies; establish guidelines for collaboration between national health systems, economic sectors, and industry; and regulate to address public needs, viewing medicines as a social good.

He stated, "The great awakening of our America poses numerous challenges on an international scale; such challenges can be better resolved through negotiations based on strength. We must establish an open and proactive dialogue about the regulatory actions we're developing, identify topics of common interest, and propose a roadmap of priorities agreed by all participating countries during these three days. We have to think about protecting all people, everywhere."

Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena and PAHO/WHO Director Jarbas Barbosa da Silva attended the inauguration virtually; José Moya Medina, representative of PAHO/WHO Mexico, attended in person.

In her remarks, Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena said, "The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the unprecedented vulnerabilities and challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean in the health, economic, social, and productive spheres, as it was one of the regions hardest hit by the greatest human crisis we have faced. This made evident the urgent need for greater coordination and cooperation to respond jointly to future health crises."

She stated that the conference would enable the participants to analyze and exchange ideas about advancing regulatory harmonization and ensuring timely access to safe, effective, and quality medicines throughout the region, thanks to the synergies between countries, institutions, and companies.

PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa da Silva, in a recorded message, said, "The PANDRH Network was created to offer the technical cooperation needed by the countries of the Americas to meet their regulatory challenges, and to adopt new policies to guarantee access to safe, effective, and quality medicines, while recognizing regional asymmetries. That mandate is more important today than ever before."

He thanked the Mexican authorities for hosting the first in-person conference since the COVID-19 pandemic, and congratulated the network on its 25th anniversary.

PAHO/WHO Representative in Mexico José Moya Medina highlighted how cooperation between countries drives the network's regulatory harmonization agenda, stating it is "important in light of the new challenges and priorities our region faces to improve equitable access to medicines, vaccines, and other strategic health technologies."

The conference will address various topics, including building regional health self-sufficiency; diplomacy for regulatory convergence and regional integration and cooperation in pursuit of access to and the development of health technologies; the state's role in promoting innovation and regional production of health technologies; the pharmaceutical industry's role in health self-sufficiency and market integration; strengthening regulatory systems for medicines and health technologies, and regulatory preparedness for epidemics and pandemics.

Participants will also discuss adopting unified safety, quality, and efficacy standards for medical products. This has become a public health priority, as COVID-19 revealed regional regulatory disparities affecting trade, supply chains, and community health.

The PANDRH Network, established in 1999 by regional regulatory authorities and PAHO, serves as a platform for achieving these goals. It promotes harmonization of pharmaceutical regulations, adapting to national and subregional realities and health policies.

This conference reaffirms Mexico's commitment to multilateral efforts to improve health regulation, aiming for fair and transparent access to medicines across the Americas and Caribbean.