Bangalore, Sep 13, 2006: The five countries ‑ Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam ‑ it is expected will implement the ASEAN Common Technical Dossiers in pharmaceuticals by December 2006. The decision of harmonizing pharma trade was taken in late August, this year, at the ASEAN economic ministers meeting held at Kuala Lumpur. The move is aimed at cutting red tape by pushing the adoption of common standards for documenting exports of pharmaceuticals.

 

This harmonization of documentation will make pharma exports in the region smooth. The other members, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and the Philippines are expected to implement the common documentation standards by December 31, 2008.

 

With growing inter-dependence among nations as well as expanding global opportunities in pharmaceutical trade, efforts toward developing a new strategic partnership in pharmaceutical regulatory harmonization has become an important agenda of ASEAN.