Dr. Jatinder Cheema, Regional Mission Director, U.S. Agency for International Development/Central Asia and Dr. Mirzanazim Dusmuratov, Chairman of Board of the Uzbek State Joint Stock Pharmaceutical Company, Uzpharmsanoat, participated in a signing ceremony to formalize cooperation between Uzpharmsanoat and USAID on the implementation of the “Promoting the Quality of Medicines” Project in Uzbekistan.

Officials from Uzpharmsanoat and the Uzbek Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs, as well as other health officials and stakeholders attended the ceremony at the Uzpharmsanoat office, the US Embassy in Tashkent said.

Although the pharmaceutical industry in Uzbekistan has made considerable progress in recent years, the government has continued to prioritize improving the quality of domestically produced medicines and medical products. Currently, 146 enterprises in Uzbekistan are engaged in the production of more than two thousand medicines and medical products. Uzpharmsanoat is the largest state joint stock company of the pharmaceutical industry in Uzbekistan.

The USAID project, implemented by the United States Pharmacopeia Convention, a nonprofit scientific organization that sets standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines manufactured, distributed, and consumed worldwide, will work with Uzpharmsanoat to achieve and maintain good manufacturing practices and quality standards. USAIDs assistance will also help manufacturers of TB medicines comply with international Good Manufacturing Standards and prepare for approval by the World Health Organization’s Pre Qualifications program, the only global medicines quality assurance program in the world.

Noting the importance of this USAID collaboration, Dr. Cheema told the ceremony participants, “Tuberculosis, now the world’s biggest killer among infectious diseases, remains a serious concern in Central Asia. USAID is pleased to be working with the Government of Uzbekistan and Uzpharmsanoat to ensure that the medicines produced in Uzbekistan meet the highest standards of quality, safety and efficacy and are available to effectively treat TB patients here and throughout the region.”

USAID supports GOUs efforts to reduce the burden of tuberculosis. USAID’s cooperation with the GOU has improved tuberculosis control, helped to reduce morbidity and mortality, and contributed to a decrease in tuberculosis cases and deaths compared to a decade ago. Since 1993, USAID has provided more than $356 million in assistance to Uzbekistan.