On September 10, the Armenian Parliament approved a bill in its first reading that expands the powers of regulatory bodies in the pharmaceutical sector. The initiative, proposed by MP Lusine Badalyan, aims to strengthen control over pharmacies, including those within medical institutions.
Under the new proposal, regulatory authorities will be granted the right to inspect hospital and clinic pharmacies for the presence of unsuitable or counterfeit drugs. This right did not exist previously, which, according to the bill’s author, created potential loopholes for unscrupulous suppliers.
Particular attention in the bill is given to the process of drug disposal. Currently, private companies are responsible for this process, but cases of fake drug disposal have been reported.
To address this issue, the bill introduces a mandatory notification to the regulatory authority five days prior to the destruction of a batch of drugs. Furthermore, the regulator will be able to send a representative to monitor the process, which must also be recorded on video.
