Health Minister Opens Pharmacy Conference and Announces Launch of Drug Monitoring App

Minister of Public Health Rakan Nasr al-Din, representing President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun, inaugurated the 27th Pharmacy Conference organized by the Lebanese Pharmacists Syndicate under the theme "Transforming Healthcare through Pharmaceutical Excellence," at the Le Royal Hotel in Dbayeh.

The opening ceremony was attended by MP Bilal Abdullah, representing the Speaker of Parliament and chairing the Parliamentary Health Committee; Minister of Information Paul Morcos, representing Prime Minister Nawaf Salam; MP Georges Adwan, chairing the Administration and Justice Committee; representatives from security agencies; former syndicate heads; university deans and directors; Syndicate Head Abdul Rahman Marqabaoui and members of the syndicate council; as well as numerous pharmacists and doctors.

Then, Minister of Public Health Rakan Nasr al-Din spoke, listing the major problems facing the health sector and the solutions the ministry is working on. He said: "First, I thank the President for entrusting me with his representation, and I convey his greetings and support to you. Today, I will speak transparently about the medication file and what we are doing with the Syndicate Head, who knows how to make requests based on well-studied files, preserving patient rights on one hand, and the rights of pharmacists and the syndicate on the other. We started cooperating with the previous syndicate, and cooperation continues. We decided to open a new page and proceed with all changes. We have many files, including subscriptions and returns, which will be addressed in cooperation with the ministry. Also, the syndicate will be strengthened through scientific committees. We have appointed 14 specialists from various pharmacy faculties in universities to participate in these committees, and they will play a role in establishing mechanisms in cooperation with the World Health Organization."

He added: "Next week, we will launch an application to monitor all medications. Any citizen unable to use a certain drug can register their name via the app. Any negative report about a drug will be considered a notification to the ministry, and appropriate measures will be taken according to the results, ranging from delisting the drug to other actions. As for drug registration, this is a very difficult issue with many obstacles, whether regarding the number of employees or other problems. Official numbering will be adopted starting from 1/11/2026."

Regarding the "National Agency for Medicines," Nasr al-Din stated that "this is an achievement for the Council of Parliament, but it has not yet come into existence because we need to pass the necessary implementing decrees to run its operations. We sent a request to the Civil Service Board, especially since the agency is the arm of the health sector, exists in all developed countries, and is supported by the three presidents. But without executive tools, it is useless. Its executive tool is the central laboratory approved by the Cabinet. Some of its equipment has arrived, and the rest will arrive soon, so that Lebanon will have a central laboratory after 35 years of absence. As for reforms, pharmacists play a significant role in peace and war, but we cannot hold pharmacists responsible for fixing prices, nor can we ignore people's conditions. Despite everything, we made every effort to distribute the commission on the citizen's bill to stabilize prices."

He clarified that "regarding similar essential medicines, there is no problem if the quality is good, provided we study them with all relevant authorities, define reference standards, train pharmacists, and succeed in achieving savings. Here, we will not tolerate any person, company, or institution manipulating the health of Lebanese citizens, especially if we find smuggled or counterfeit drugs. We will pursue legal action if such cases are found. Here, I thank the Cabinet for approving the proposal we submitted on this matter."

He concluded: "We have made a bold decision, and we will do whatever is necessary to preserve the health of Lebanese citizens, and we will not allow it to be endangered by anyone."