USAID announces support for Jordanian pharmaceutical sector in the first Bio-equivalence conference

The two-day conference featured a series of international and Jordanian experts in the scientific field and targeted the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, including contract research organizations, regulators from JFDA and the Ministry of Health, and academicians from Jordanian and international universities.

The featured speakers addressed problematic issues on bioequivalence, opened a dialogue between industry stakeholders, contract research organizations and regulatory authorities with local and international experts, and concluded answers to many emerging questions and debates in the bioequivalence field.

The science of bioequivalence is one of the most dynamic sciences in the pharmaceutical industry. Jordanian pharmaceuticals are mainly branded generics; in order for them to be approved and sold in the Jordanian market, bioequivalence studies are one of the pre-requisites for their registration, and prove the comparability and interchangeability of the generics' with originator products.

Failure to have a bio equivalency study process applying international best practices and standards would lead to major disturbances and unjustified costs for pharmaceutical manufacturing companies resulting in decreasing their competitiveness in Jordan and export markets.

The conference was followed by a series of site visits on the part of international and local experts to the University of Jordan, local contract research organizations and JFDA, which gave the visitors the opportunity to interact with local experts and academicians to further discuss options for future collaboration in consultations, exchange of information.

'The CRO's I visited [during this conference] are already functioning according to world standards following USFDA, EMEA and WHO recommendations,' stated Roger Verbeeck an international participant of the conference, ' and they are highly motivated to even further improve their standards so that they will be recognized internationally as excellent CRO's with comparable or even higher quality standards compared with the current western market leaders.'

He noted the positive and existing collaboration between the Government of Jordan, the sector's private firms and academia, but stressed that continued partnership is needed.

The Jordanian Association of Manufacturers of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Appliances (JAPM) was established in 1996 as a dedicated sector-specific association and is the representative body of the unanimity of manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and medical appliances which is one of the key sectors of the Jordanian economy.

The USAID Jordan Economic Development Program (SABEQ) is a five-year broad economic development initiative implemented by BearingPoint, Inc. and a sizeable team of international and Jordanian partner firms. By both supporting improvements in the business environment and providing assistance to expand innovation and productivity in Jordanian businesses, to support the main objective of building up the private sector as a powerful engine of economic growth.