Syria advances plan for drug authority with Jordan support
Health ministry moves to establish regulatory body modeled on Jordan FDA to strengthen pharmaceutical oversight
DAMASCUS, Syria (MNTV) – Syria is moving ahead with plans to establish a national pharmaceutical authority designed to regulate the country’s drug sector, with technical support and cooperation from Jordan, according to officials.
The initiative is being developed by the Syrian Ministry of Health and is intended to follow international standards, including guidelines aligned with the World Health Organization, officials said.
Hani Baghdadi, who supervises pharmaceutical directorates at the ministry, said the proposed authority would be structured along the lines of the Jordan Food and Drug Administration and would serve to improve oversight of both locally produced and imported medicines.
He added that the project is not limited to internal regulatory reforms but is expected to be built on internationally recognized benchmarks for drug safety, quality control and market monitoring.
According to Baghdadi, discussions with international partners could expand in September, potentially opening the door to financial and technical support for the establishment of the authority.
The plan was discussed during recent meetings with a Jordanian delegation led by Jordan Food and Drug Administration Director General Rana Obeidat, held alongside a health conference in Damascus.
Talks between Syrian and Jordanian officials covered a wide range of pharmaceutical cooperation areas, including drug registration procedures, laboratory accreditation, post-market surveillance, supply chain management and regulatory enforcement.
The two sides also explored potential cooperation in medical production and trade, including the export of Syrian pharmaceuticals to Jordan and the import of Jordanian medicines into Syria.
A Jordanian health delegation headed by Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Badour visited Damascus on June 18 as part of efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation and activate previously signed memorandums of understanding in the health sector.
During the visit, officials toured pharmaceutical facilities, including Cure Pharma, a company involved in cancer drug production, to assess manufacturing standards and explore areas for technical collaboration.
Syrian officials described the visit as exploratory, aimed at reviewing existing pharmaceutical capabilities, while noting that no specific operational agreements regarding individual factories had been finalized.
Further meetings between the two countries focused on broader cooperation in health services, training programs, epidemic control, medical education and digital transformation of healthcare systems.
Officials from both sides emphasized plans to enhance collaboration in primary healthcare, family medicine systems and cancer treatment, drawing on Jordan’s experience in healthcare management and specialized treatment centers.
The discussions also included proposals to establish an epidemic surveillance center and expand training and capacity-building programs for Syrian health professionals, supported by international organizations.
The initiative is part of ongoing efforts to implement health cooperation agreements signed earlier this year under a bilateral coordination framework between Syria and Jordan aimed at strengthening regional health systems.
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