Conference “The availability of medicines in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the way to the European Union” a EU-funded project took place on Wednesday, 15 June 2022 in Banja Luka. The aim of project was to contribute to the public opinion on the importance of the strong regulatory body, the BiH Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (ALMBIH), in the process of EU accession.
“The EU supports all efforts for strengthening the state level ALMBiH and provides the technical assistance experts mission, the procurement of the new IT equipment worth 20 000 EUR for its needs and we aim to have the Agency’s needs included in the programming of IPA in 2023. Today’s conference is a perfect opportunity to discuss the overall health system situation in BiH with specific focus on the availability of medicines, role of the ALMBiH in ensuring supply chains and market registration of quality and safe medicines, but also to touch upon solutions and best EU practices. This event is also the place to loudly say that initiatives which further fragment the regulatory environment, like the one establishing a separate RS Agency for Medicinal Products and Devices, would have huge negative impact. Consequences that are against the interests of patients, producers and importers, undermining single economic space within the country”, stated Jurgis Vilčinskas, the Acting Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The project is partnered with the Association of the Innovative Medicines’ Manufacturers, and gathered speakers from the Embassy of Switzerland in BiH, representatives of the ALMBiH, BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs, Agency for Medicines of Croatia, representatives of pharma industry and Association of patients.
