Full EU support for BiH Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices

Today, the Acting Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina Jurgis Vilčinskas visited the BiH Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices (ALMBiH) and held a meeting with its Director Aleksandar Zolak. Vilčinskas expressed the EU’s full support for the work of the ALMBiH as a an independent body ensuring a secure, functional and uniform system for regulating medicines and medical devices on the entire territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Vilčinskas noted that the establishment of the ALMBiH and adoption of the respective legislative framework in line with the EU acquis was a very successful reform under the Stabilisation and Association Process. Undermining this institution would not only take Bosnia and Herzegovina further away from progressing on the EU path would contribute to endangering legal certainty and single economic space in BiH. Moreover, it would also compromise the ability of healthcare institutions to deliver existing levels of healthcare services for their patients.

“Patients deserve the best,” stated Vilčinskas.

“Any initiatives to create parallel systems are likely to lead to shortages of medicines and increased costs, as well as lower the quality of medicines.”

The Acting Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina also commented positively about the role played by the ALMBiH over the course of the pandemic in securing market authorisation and import of vaccines. He noted that with the pandemic still not over, disruption to the ALMBiH’s work would additionally harm the interests of BiH citizens and respective businesses.