Kathmandu, Dec 19:  The government has amended the Drugs Act, 2035 through an ordinance to open the way to register drugs and vaccines in an emergency case, thus allowing the import of COVID-19 vaccine.

This amended Act would allow the import of the vaccine although it is not enlisted by the World Health Organisation, said the Department of Health Services.

Of four requirements for the import of the medicine, two are needed for a country to import and distribute it to its people.

The four requirements include enlistment of the drug by the WHO, its enlistment by the WHO in an emergency case, its registration in the regulatory body of the country producing it and vaccinating the people of the respective country and its registration in the drug department of the country importing it.

Nepal could import and distribute the medicine although it is not enlisted by the WHO, said Dr Jhalak Sharma Gautam, director of the Child Health and Immunisation Section, the Department of Health Services.

The WHO is yet to enlist the medicine for its use. COVID-19 vaccines produced by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Russia and China have been in its final test. Vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNtech and Moderna based in the US has been administered to the infected people after its registration in the respective country, said Dr Gautam.
“Nepal can register and distribute the drug to its people through the recently amended Drugs Act, 2035 although the WHO is yet to list it after its registration and administration to the people of the country producing it.”
The Immunisation Section was at work to increase the country’s storage capacity of the medicine, he said. Stating that at present, it could store 190,000 liters vaccine, which could cover three per cent of the total population of the country, he said, “We will soon increase the storage capacity to cover 20 percent population.”
Nepal was at work to import the medicines that would cover 20 percent of the total population of the country, he said.
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