In a significant national step towards reforming the pharmaceutical system and enhancing drug security in Libya, the Medical Supply Organisation (MSO) announced today the launch of the Libyan National Formulary (LNF).
A formulary is an official list of prescription medicines approved for coverage by a health insurance plan, hospital, or medical system. It includes both generic and brand-name drugs chosen for safety, effectiveness, and cost.
By definition, this affects which medicines, brands and from which countries are imported - and which are not.
The creation of this official list has been the subject of much resistance and behind the scenes battles by medical importers over the decades. Several governments have attempted and failed to create an official list in the past.
The MSO said the creation of t5his official list comes in partnership with the Pharmacy Department of the Ministry of Health, the Drug Control Department of the National Centre for Food and Drug Control, and the General Syndicate of Pharmacists, and in cooperation with a number of relevant entities, including the National Centre for Disease Control, as well as a group of private pharmaceutical companies, and with the participation of a select group of national experts in various health specialties.
A unified national reference
The launch of the formulary, the MSO explained, aims to provide a unified national reference for the selection, prescribing, dispensing, and use of medications, based on scientific and professional principles grounded in approved evidence and treatment protocols.
A Shift in Drug Management
The MSO said launch of the LNF represents a shift in drug management in Libya, moving from simply providing and supplying medications to building a comprehensive national system for managing the entire drug cycle. This system begins with identifying needs, selecting, and evaluating medications, and extends to procurement, supply, storage, distribution, prescribing, dispensing, use, monitoring, and evaluation.