Licensed drug importers permitted to sell influenza vaccine

Ministry of Health has provided permission to licensed prescription drug importers to import influenza vaccine into Maldives.

Ministry of Health issued a statement this Wednesday announcing that given the current circumstances, influenza vaccine (P369) has been removed from its rank as a “restricted for national programs” drug and re-ranked a “controlled prescription only medicine.”

The ministry said that licensed prescription drug importers therefor could import influenza vaccine, but that the importers would need to take permission from Maldives Food and Drug

Authority as per regulation before importing the vaccine.

Importers have been advised strict adherence to guidelines each step of the way, from transporting the vaccine to administering the vaccine; especially in maintaining the required temperature in storing the vaccines.

Maldives is currently facing an H1N1 influenza outbreak in the country with more than 200 positive cases and six fatalities so far.

Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and ADK Hospital have started administering the vaccine in an effort to control the outbreak.