A meeting with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regulators opens a formal dialogue for further discussions in the region
18-19 September 2005

After WSMI had played a leading role in the establishment of the Middle-East Self-Medication Industry (MESMI) in 2004, it recently supported the organization of a key meeting with GCC regulators as a means to foster a more active dialogue in the region. A regional regulators’ meeting in Ryiadh, Saudi-Arabia, during the week of September 19th offered the occasion to organize a concurrent conference, which could thus be attended by as many as 30 key individuals.
The meeting was chaired by Dr Saleh Al Suwayeh, Vice Dean and Associate Professor at the College of Pharmacy, King Saud University. Speakers included:  Mr Mohammed Al Abduljabbar, Deputy Managing Director Marketing & Business Development of Spimaco and Chairman of MESMI; Mr Ramez Sawiriz, Regulatory Director GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare for Middle East & Near East; Dr Sleh Bawzeer, head of the Saudi OTC drafting committee and former Minister of Health Advisor; and Dr David Webber, Director-General of WSMI.
Lively and positive discussions took place around the topics on the agenda: the distinction between Rx and OTC, general sales, simplification of the registration process, direct to consumer communication and free pricing, the latter receiving particular attention.