Korea, Japan Apply for PIC/S Membership
The Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) and Japan's Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Agency (PMDA) have applied for membership in the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S), the groups reported.
PIC/S is an informal arrangement between consenting health regulatory authorities to exchange information, and has been hailed as a "global leader in helping to ensure the quality of drugs" by US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.
The scheme lacks the legal status and mutual recognition of inspections that other agreements, such as the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention or the Global Harmonization Task Force (GHTF), convey.
Both KFDA's and PMDA's rapporteurs to the agency will be appointed at the next PIC/S meeting scheduled to be held 7-8 May, the groups said in a statement.
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PIC/S - Korea applies for PIC/S membership