The Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) in a letter to Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi yesterday stressed the need of ensuring the approval of the National Medicinal Regulatory Authority (NMRA), prior to the use of any vaccine on Sri Lankans.
The SLMA in a letter under the hand of its President Dr. Padma Gunaratne semphasised the need to maintain the integrity and independent of the NMRA for a long term successful vaccination programme.
Excerpts from the letter: “The President and the Council of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) hereby wish to communicate to you the urgent need to ensure the approval of the National Medicinal Regulatory Authority (NMRA), prior to use of any vaccine on Sri Lankan Nationals.
The SLMA emphasizes the need to maintain the integrity and independence of the NMRA for a long-term successful vaccination programme in Sri Lanka.
The NMRA was established in 2015 through an Act of Parliament, and plays an important role in protecting public health by ensuring medical products available in the country meet accepted standards of safety, quality and efficacy. In the context of COVID-19, the NMRA appointed an independent panel of experts to study all documents submitted in relation to candidate vaccines for COVID-19 and provide scientific advice for emergency use approval in Sri Lanka.
“We understand that the recently imported Sinopharm Vaccine to date does not have the NMRA approval for use on Sri Lankan Nationals or the approval of the World Health Organisation. We are aware that the NMRA appointed committee of independent panel of experts were of the opinion that the data provided so far are inadequate to arrive at a decision on the safety, efficacy and the immunogenicity of the Sinopharm Vaccine. We have been reliably informed that attempts are being made to overturn that decision and register the said vaccine for emergency use. The fact that a large consignment of the questionable vaccine has already landed in the country does support this information. We believe that it is irregular for our health authorities to administer a vaccine not approved by the NMRA even to foreign
nationals based in Sri Lanka”.
