Issued by Department of Health and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Association
25 July 2001
The first meeting, held earlier this month, was characterized by a desire by both parties to put previous disputes firmly in the past. This was very much in the spirit reflected by Minister of Health Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang when the court case on the Medicines Control Amendment Act was withdrawn in April and she declared it was time to "wipe the slate clean".
The joint structure comprises seven representatives from each party. On the side of the Department, the team consists of a range of officials and is headed by the Director-General, Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba. On the side of the PMA, representatives are drawn from member-companies and the Association's president, Mr Richard de Chastelain, heads the group.
The seven-a-side working group will serve a critical communication function. Both parties operate in terms of long-range programmes and require first-hand information about the underlying policies, plans and direction of the other.
It is intended that the working group will meet four times a year. In addition, the Department - headed by the Minister - will meet a much larger group of pharmaceutical industry CEOs about twice a year to promote ongoing dialogue with as many companies as possible.
Beyond the exchange of information, the group will pool expertise and resources to undertake joint projects in areas where they have common concerns. Areas of potential collaboration include:
Both parties were frank in acknowledging that government and pharmaceutical companies were fundamentally different institutions and it was unrealistic to expect agreement on all matters. They took the view that it was important to explore their differences so that these were perceived realistically.
Released by:
Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, Department of Health
Richard de Chastelain, PMA