The aim is to update the existing legislations that have been in place for over 40 years, the Thai FDA said in an announcement on January 7.
It also aims to enhance the efficiency of health product laws in protecting consumer safety, while promoting the facilitation of modern business operations at the same time.
Over 1.5 million health product imports are inspected by the Thai FDA annually, with a total value exceeding 400 billion baht (USD$11.6bn).
“This process is governed by seven laws, some of which have been in effect for over 40 years. However, the current situation and forms of health product imports, exports, and transit have evolved, rendering existing laws limited and incompatible with new business models,” the Thai FDA said in its announcement.
The regulator is also in discussions with various government agencies to gather feedback on the new legislations, said Lertchai Lertwut, deputy secretary-general of the Thai FDA.
These agencies include the Customs Department, the Department of Internal Trade, Department of Foreign Trade, Department of Medical Sciences, Department of Disease Control, Department of Fisheries, Department of Livestock Development, Department of Agriculture, the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards, and other divisions under the FDA.
“The aim is to revise and improve the regulatory framework for health products to enhance efficiency and create competitive opportunities in the business sector. The goal is to speed up the consideration and inspection processes to facilitate entrepreneurs and steer the national economy toward global standards.
“The legislation also seeks to create mechanisms for quicker consideration and inspection processes to facilitate entrepreneurs, thereby advancing the national economy toward international standards,” the Thai FDA added.
The regulator already mentioned last year that a focus for year 2025 was to align with global standards and to work on modernisation and transparency.
This includes enhancing transparency in tracking applications for product approval, promoting health products that could reduce chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and supporting new businesses and local entrepreneurs.
An example of its latest initiatives is the drafting of a standard operating manual for the supervision of health products pre-and-post commercialisation.
The manual will then be disseminated to its central and regional offices to ensure that the same guidelines are practised at both the central and regional levels.
