WHO Expands Global Healthcare Regulatory Trust

WHO recognition enhances regulation of healthcare and expedites delivery of medicines and vaccines across the world.

The medical product regulators in Australia and Indonesia have officially become the WHO Listed Authorities (WLAs) in global healthcare governance and this has been a significant step towards the control of healthcare universally. The name affirms that both the agencies are up to the international standards of regulatory control.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration of Australia and the Food and Drug Authority of Indonesia are now linked through a network of 41 authorities in 39 countries. The broadened structure indicates a broader approach to healthcare regulation, which is more inclusive and geographically broad.

The system of WLA implemented by WHO is aimed at enhancing regulatory dependence so that the governments and the international procurement agencies can trust the decisions that are made by the listed authorities. This avoids unnecessary duplication, reduces supply bottlenecks and enhances the access to vital medicines and vaccines, which are invaluable priorities in the healthcare systems across the globe.

The obtaining of WLA status by Indonesia is especially important as the country becomes the first autonomous regulator, being a middle-income country. The officials of the WHO reported that the success draws attention to long-term investment in the regulatory capacity, particularly in the oversight of vaccines.

The inclusion of Australia now means that all the previous regulators who were considered to be stringent have passed over to the single framework WLA. WHO reported that the shift would provide a clear and foreseeable system to boost trust in the healthcare supply chain and enhance response to emergencies in the health of the population.