The Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) is being upgraded and it will soon get accreditation from the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the DRAP spokesman, the authority is committed to further ensure quality of drugs through strengthening the Central Drugs Laboratory. He added DRAP is striving to strengthen its laboratories for further ensuring that quality drugs are available in the country. In this context, upgradation of the Central Drugs Laboratory (CDL) situated in Karachi is one of the most important steps in making DRAP a modern-day regulatory body. He said that CDL has recently been revamped in accordance with the international best practices. The laboratory now houses some of the cutting-edge equipment for testing and analysis of drugs, alternative medicines and medical devices.
Best practices as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United States Pharmacopoeia are being implemented for performing tests on therapeutic goods, he added. He said that CDL is now moving towards international accreditation as part of DRAP’s vision to become WHO Listed Authorities (WLA). In initial phases, CDL has been assessed for quality management system certification and is continuously engaged with WHO for its pre-qualification as one of the quality control laboratories in the country. In this regard, a peer audit by WHO is expected in April 2021.
