During the event, lectures were presented on the identification of impurities in medicines and pharmaceutical substances based on the monographs of the United States Pharmacopeia. Topics included methods of analysis, equipment used, applicable standards, and a newly developed platform related to nitrosamine impurities.

As part of the visit, a short familiarization tour was organized to the newly established “Pharma Park,” located at the Agency for the Development of the Pharmaceutical Industry under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

As part of the visit, Larisa Kopp, Deputy Head of the Pharmacovigilance Department at the Paul Ehrlich Institute and a member of the mission, visited the Analytical Expertise Center (AEC). During her visit, the effectiveness of the pharmacovigilance system for medicines and vaccines in the country was assessed according to WHO standards, particularly using the WHO Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT).

During the meeting with the staff of AEC’s Pharmacovigilance Department, both parties discussed issues of mutual interest, as well as optimal solutions to challenges arising in the process.

Employees of state medical institutions have participated in the seminar.

Participants of the seminar were provided with detailed information on the objectives of pharmacovigilance, the pharmacovigilance system, the WHO International Monitoring Programme, side effects, the meaning ones, classification of adverse reactions, the meaning of notification cards and online notifications, methods for assessing the causal relationship between adverse reactions and a medicinal product, as well as various measures for minimization of risks.

The seminar was attended by 29 representatives from 24 state medical-preventive institutions. The seminar provided answers to participants’ questions, as well as analyzed and discussed real examples from experience.

At the end of the seminar, all participants were awarded certificates from Analytical Expertise Center.

The R21/Matrix-M vaccine targets Plasmodium falciparum, the most dangerous malaria pathogen. Clinical trials have shown that it can reduce malaria incidence by more than 50% in the first year after vaccination, and a fourth dose prolongs the protective effect. When administered seasonally in combination with chemoprophylaxis, the vaccine is 75% effective.

Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, is set to produce over 100 million doses of R21 annually, with plans to scale up to 200 million doses per year. This will help meet the high demand for the vaccine in African countries, where malaria kills around half a million children every year.

The introduction of R21/Matrix-M into national immunization programmes has already begun. This is a significant step forward in the fight against malaria, aimed at reducing child mortality and improving public health in endemic areas.

The basic studies show that about half of all side effects are preventable. Patient safety is our top priority, and during the MedSafetyWeek campaign, we would like to remind patients to be careful when taking medicine and healthcare professionals to be careful before prescribing treatment for them.

The Analytical Expertise Center of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Azerbaijan participates in this year’s social media campaign, as every year, and supports the importance of reporting side effects through the Notification Card.

MedSafetyWeek is a company that will cover 106 organizations from 94 countries of the world and is a joint initiative of the authorities that control medicines.

The 19th International Conference of Drug Regulatory Agencies (ICDRA) started on October 14, 2024 in Delhi and will continue work until October 19, 2024. The conference is organized by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India, Government of India and supported by WHO.

The AEC of the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan is represented by General Director Murad Suleymanov and Head of the Pharmaceutical Track and Trace Department Said Farzullayev at the mentioned international conference.

The conference will open with the first two days to all interested parties and the last three days reserved for representatives of national and regional pharmaceutical regulatory bodies, the Conference promises extensive discussions, information sharing and the development of collaborative strategies. The conference is proceeding under the slogan “Smart Regulation: Delivering Quality Assured Medical Products for All.”

The Secretary General of the OTS, health ministers of the member and observer countries, the special representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Shusha region, as well as invited scientists from different countries attended this event.

The Secretary General of the OTS Kubanichbek Omuraliev in his opening speech expressed confidence that the event would be successful and effective for the further development of the health sector of the member countries of the Organization of Turkic States. It was emphasized that the issues to be discussed by the Secretary General and the decisions to be made would give an important impetus to the future work of the organization in a new aspect.

Speaking at the opening of the event, Teymur Musayev Minister of Health of the Azerbaijan emphasized that holding the IV meeting of health ministers of the Organization of Turkic States in Shusha is a historic and proud event. “The great son of the Turkic world and the national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev said: “Without Shusha there is no Karabakh, and without Karabakh there is no Azerbaijan.”

In their speeches, the Minister of Health of Turkey Kemal Memisoglu, the First Deputy Minister of Health of Uzbekistan Davron Sultanov, the Vice Minister of Health of Kazakhstan Yerbol Ospanov, the Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan Alymkadyr Beyshenaliev, the Deputy Minister of Health of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Durye Deren Oygar and the representative of Hungary in Turkey emphasized that the event held by the UN member states and the Ministry of Health of Azerbaijan was organized at a high level and will give impetus to the development of cooperation between the countries in a modern sense through a new prism.

Then a video message to the participants of the event was addressed from the WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge. Hans Henri Kluge emphasized the essence of the event and wished success to the meeting.

Within the framework of the event, was signed a “protocol of intentention on the establishment of “turktransplant”. The speakers noted the essence of the document, emphasizing that at present time the transplantology field allows to take radical decision the problems of treating many serious diseases. A number of memorandums of understanding were also signed between research institutes and centers of the ministries of health of the member countries and observers of the OTS in the of oncology, cardiology, ophthalmology, pediatrics, traumatology and orthopedics fields. The document supposes the establishment of intensive ties between the parties, conducting scientific research, improving the knowledge and skills of medical workers working in these specialties, personnel exchange, promoting and strengthening useful cooperation.

At the end of the meeting, the ministers of health of the member countries and observers of the organization of Turkic states answered on questions from media representatives.

Among the proposals, important issues were raised such as organizing testing for professionalism among laboratories of regulatory authorities of Turkic-speaking countries, determining the language of the pharmacopoeia that will be prepared, preparing a list of representatives of member countries who will participate in the development of the pharmacopoeia, and others. The issue of coordination at the government level with the preparation of the Turkic pharmacopoeia and the speedy completion of preparatory work was also brought to attention.

This appeal was investigated by employees of AEC of the MOH and, guided by the provisions of part 5 of the “Rules for the recall of medicines”, approved by Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated November 27, 2019 No. 460, the decision to recall the medical devices specified in the appeal was confirmed by the order of the Center.

Taking into account the above and the provisions of section 16 “Rule on the recall of medicines”, the import into the country, as well as the wholesale and retail sale of a medical device with the commercial name “Pencan 25gx3 1/2″ (88 mm) M. FK-EU/AP/SA released in series 23E24H8B05 is prohibited.

On the last day of the meeting, group discussions were held, proposals were presented to optimize the work of the specified network (WHO-National Network of Biological Control Laboratories) and increase its efficiency. Experts answered questions.

Our republic was represented at the meeting by Chingiz Shukurov, an employee of Analytical Expertise Center of MOH.