In implementation of the outputs of the National Committee for Trade Facilitation, an expanded meeting was held this morning at the headquarters of the Customs Authority in the interim capital Aden, which included the Chairman of the General Authority for Investment, Ali Ahmed Jarhum, the head of the Customs Authority, Abdul Hakim Radman Al-Qabati, the Executive Director General of the Higher Authority for Medicines and Medical Supplies, Dr. Abdul Qader Al-Bakri, and the Vice President of the Pharmaceutical Producers Union, Dr. Nabil Atef, at the General Directorate of Medicines and Medical Supplies.

The meeting was devoted to discussing issues related to the entry of raw materials for pharmaceutical factories, and the urgent need to reconsider customs duties on imported materials in line with those in sister Arab countries, and equalize them with the advantages granted to imported treatment to encourage local pharmaceutical products due to their high quality and lower prices than imported ones.

The meeting agreed to continue coordinating efforts between the Customs Authority, the High Authority for Medicines and Medical Supplies, the General Investment Authority and the Federation of Pharmaceutical Producers to find solutions and remedies for all issues related to the entry of raw materials involved in the pharmaceutical industries, and to submit appropriate proposals to the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Finance and Health to approve them and direct their implementation.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Abdullah Saleh Al-Habashi, Assistant Undersecretary for Technical Affairs, a number of specialized directors general and representatives of the Federation of Pharmaceutical Producers.