The leaders of the Global Harmonization Working Party (GHWP) for Medical Devices decided to increase the number of participants from the regulatory bodies in the organization's scientific and technical work groups. This came during the meeting of the organization's general secretariat and leaders of scientific and technical groups, hosted virtually by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which was represented by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. The final recommendations included strengthening cooperation in the field of homogeneity and rapprochement in the regulatory and legislative systems between countries to facilitate their benefit from modern medical technologies in diagnosis, treatment and all medical practices. It also included assisting less regulated countries in the regulatory systems and legislation that ensure the safety and efficiency of performance of medical supplies devices. The participants in the meeting welcomed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's initiative, which was adopted by all member states, to establish a guide for the emergency use of medical devices and supplies during pandemics. It was also agreed to form a scientific and regulatory committee, headed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by GHWP Chairman and Executive Vice President of the Medical Devices Sector at SFDA, Eng. Ali Al-Dalaan, with the participation of the United States of America, as a member of the committee. The GHWP secretariat agreed that China would host the annual meeting of the organization, which will be held in November of this year. At the conclusion of the meeting, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by SFDA, was praised by the participating countries for hosting the organization's meetings during the past years, especially during COVID-19 period. GHWP includes more than 32 regulatory bodies, and a number of consultants with regulatory expertise from the United States of America, Europe and Japan. GHWP is in continuous coordination with a number of strategic partners and other organizations such as (APEC, WHO, OECD) and the International Medical Devices Regulators Forum, with the aim of creating an environment of homogeneity and legislative convergence, and developing regulatory systems and legislation for medical devices and products in accordance with International best practices, and providing assistance to emerging countries in building their control systems and benefiting from the various experiences of the members of the organization. This comes to enhance the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's role in encouraging the homogeneity and convergence of regulatory systems and legislation for medical devices and products, in order for countries to benefit from the entry of modern medical technologies in diagnosis, treatment, and commercial and industrial exchange.
