The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe carried its mandate very well when the country was faced by the most devastating public health challenge in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic and Government expects the authority to continue on this path.
Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care Constantino Chiwenga said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro at the MCAZ annual general meeting and stakeholders forum.
MCAZ, which ordinarily subjects all medicines to thorough and sometimes time consuming approval processes, needed to act at high speed and approved the use of Covid-19 vaccines in record time, thereby averting what could have been dire consequences.
“I want to applaud the role that the MCAZ has played in the National Covid-19 response strategy,” said VP Chiwenga.
“The authority made sure that the country rolls out the national vaccination strategy successfully by issuing emergency use authorisations for Covid-19 vaccines and providing scientific recommendations on Covid-19 therapeutics that the country needed to protect its citizens.
“This has seen the Government of Zimbabwe relaxing the Covid-19-induced restrictions and life getting back to normal as evidenced by our gathering here today.”
As he commended the authority for a job well done, VP Chiwenga asked the authority to be worried of potential abuse of medicinal cannabis production licenses.
This comes as Zimbabwe only recently became the second African country to legalise the cultivation of medicinal cannabis, with the grower investors subject to a carefully drawn-up set of conditions over security, so that legal cannabis cannot enter the recreational and illegal markets.
The industry is, however, prone to abuse particularly by illegal drug peddlers who would be on the prowl for illegal recreational cannabis.
“As you are aware, in 2018 Zimbabwe became the second African country after Lesotho to legalise the production of cannabis for medicinal and research purposes,” said VP Chiwenga.
“I am happy that MCAZ in your circular 17 of 2022 took the initiative and invited players who want to use cannabinoid-based products as complementary medicines to register with the authority.
“This a unique and growing sector and has the potential to grow to US$1.25 billion dollars as annual revenue. I, however, call upon the MCAZ to be vigilant as they license and monitor this sector.
“The Government will not tolerate any abuse of cannabis licenses and criminal diversion of this controlled substance. Let me emphasize that the use of cannabis is restricted to medicinal and research purposes only.”
MCAZ acting director general Mr Richard Rukwata said they were emphasising the need for improved access to essential medicines and commodities with the thrust towards increased local production and reducing the country’s reliance on imported medical products.
“The microbiology laboratory is yet to be pre-qualified by the World Health Organisation,” he said. “We are working towards attainment of this goal. We shall also be working towards the establishment of a laboratory for the analysis of cannabis as this is an area of growing interests which requires the authority’s expertise.” – The Herald
