DHAKA, July 3, 2024 (BSS) - Health Minister Dr. Samanta Lal Sen today laid emphasis on maintaining standard of medicine alongside ensuring its efficacy for protection of human health.

"It is a huge challenge for human health as substandard medicines are produced side by side increasing trend of drug adulteration," he told the annual meeting of member states of South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN) here, an official release said.

The South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN) is a volunteer association of the National Regulatory Authorities of the countries in the WHO South-East Asia region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

Samanta said, "We can overcome emerging challenges in the drug production sector through joint works of the South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN). The role of SEARN is very crucial to ensure quality drug production with maintaining efficacy against diseases."

The mission of the SEARN is to develop and strengthen regulatory collaboration, convergence and reliance in the South-East Asia region over shared regulatory issues and challenges, that will build trust and capacity, and will enable National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) to fulfill their mandates and better safeguard public health.