The government is proposing sweeping changes to the drug regulatory system, with legislation tabled in the Senate to create a new authority aimed at strengthening oversight, improving access to medicines and positioning the island for making pharmaceuticals.
Introducing the Barbados Medical Products Bill in the Senate on Wednesday, Senior Minister coordinating Social and Environmental Policy with responsibility for Reform of the Social Sector, Senator Jerome Walcott, described the measure as the most significant reform of the Barbados Drug Service since its establishment in 1980.
The proposed Barbados Medical Products Authority (BMPA) would function as a modern autonomous regulatory body responsible for overseeing medicines, medical devices and other health products used in Barbados.
Senator Walcott said: “The BMPA will be a modern autonomous national regulatory authority responsible for regulating medicines and other health devices and ensuring that all products used in Barbados meet international standards for quality, safety and efficacy.”
The authority would improve access to safe and effective medicines, strengthen public health protection and support pharmaceutical manufacturing, research and the wider life sciences industry, said the former health minister.
The legislation forms part of the government’s wider effort to modernise the country’s health regulatory system and position Barbados as a regional leader in regulatory science, he added.
Senator Walcott traced the origins of the initiative to lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many small and developing countries struggled to access vaccines, medicines and medical supplies.
“We were exposed to the fact that inequity in access to vaccines and pharmaceuticals, medical devices and even nasal swabs was a problem,” he said. “You had the funds, you wanted to buy, but you were not being assisted by the countries which produce and export.”
The minister said the government recognised the need to reduce the country’s vulnerability to future global supply disruptions.
He noted that discussions with Rwandan President Paul Kagame during his visit in April 2022 further shaped the administration’s thinking. Kagame outlined Rwanda’s plans to establish vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing, including a partnership with German biotechnology company BioNTech to produce messenger RNA vaccines.
“This piqued our interest in Barbados,” Senator Walcott said.
Barbados subsequently adopted a strategic approach to developing its pharmaceutical industry, he said. With support from the Susan Thomas Buffett Foundation, work began on a white paper and the development of the necessary regulatory framework.
“If you’re going to go into manufacturing, you have to reach certain levels,” he said, noting that countries must achieve World Health Organisation regulatory maturity level three before qualifying for pharmaceutical manufacturing.
“Barbados is very rudimentary. We are at level one at this point in time,” he added.
Extensive consultations, technical assistance and training opportunities helped shape the legislation, he declared. Support was also provided by the European Union, while Rwandan officials and legal experts shared their experience in developing a similar framework.
The establishment of Barbados Pharmaceutical Inc. was another key step in preparing the country for eventual manufacturing activity, he said.
Among the authority’s responsibilities will be the marketing authorisation of medical products, a function currently carried out by the Barbados Drug Service.
He acknowledged that the government’s target of achieving WHO maturity level three status by 2028 “is very ambitious, but we will see how close we get to that”.
(SB)
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