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Muscat Daily
15-07-2025
- Health
- Muscat Daily
Pharmacist jobs in hospitals and commercial centres Omanised
By OUR CORRESPONDENT Muscat – Ministry of Health (MoH) has issued a directive mandating Omanisation of pharmacy jobs in commercial complexes and hospital-affiliated in-house pharmacies. A circular (No 167/2025) dated July 13, issued by the Drug Safety Centre under MoH, instructed that professional licences of non-Omani pharmacists and assistant pharmacists in these establishments will not be renewed. The directive takes immediate effect. Signed by Ibrahim Nasser al Rashdi, Director General of Drug Safety Centre, the circular forms part of broader national efforts to enhance employment opportunities for qualified Omani professionals in the pharmaceutical field. 'All concerned entities are urged to take the necessary steps to implement this directive in a timely manner,' the circular said. The circular has been sent to all pharmacies operating in commercial complexes and those affiliated with hospitals. The decision follows the Health Sector Employment Governance Committee's discussions in January with Majlis A'Shura's Youth and Human Resources Committee on key initiatives aimed at advancing employment of Omanis in the health sector, focusing on complete Omanisation of the pharmacy profession in the private sector.
Observer
01-06-2025
- Health
- Observer
Health ministry unveils ad norms for medicines
To enhance public health safeguards and ensure ethical, accurate representation of pharmaceutical products, the Ministry of Health on Sunday issued Ministerial Resolution No 135/2025, which specifies the conditions and procedures for advertising or promoting medicines. The resolution bans advertising or promoting medicines by any entity other than pharmaceutical companies, local agents, or pharmaceutical consulting offices, with the exception of scientific offices, unless they have obtained prior authorisation from the Drug Safety Centre (DSC). To obtain a licence, the medicine must be officially registered and that the advertisement content be consistent with the internal leaflet and the Summary of Drug Properties (SmPC) specifying the target groups for the advertisement. According to the decision, the advertisement must also adhere to public order and public morals and be free of any content that could harm public health or contain misleading information, exaggerations or insults to other medicines in accordance with the DSC's approved advertising guide. The DSC allows a period not exceeding 60 days to review and decide on the licence application. Failure to respond within this period shall be considered a rejection of the application. In case of missing documents or information, the applicant will be notified and given 30 days to complete the missing information, otherwise, the application will be cancelled. The applicant may submit a new application 30 days after the date of the rejection decision. The licence term is set at 3 months, renewable with the same conditions. The renewal application must be submitted at least 20 days before the licence expires. The decision allows for the submission of a grievance to the Minister of Health within 60 days of the rejection decision. A decision must be made within 30 days. Failure to decide within this period constitutes a rejection of the grievance. The DSC also has the right to suspend the licence if health risks or the drug's ineffectiveness are identified.
Muscat Daily
01-06-2025
- Business
- Muscat Daily
MoH tightens rules on promotion, marketing of drugs in Oman
Muscat – Ministry of Health (MoH) has announced new regulations for advertising and promoting medicines aimed at safeguarding public health and ensuring ethical marketing practices in the pharmaceutical sector. Issued by H E Dr Hilal bin Ali al Sabti, Minister of Health, Ministerial Decision No 135/2025 outlines procedures and conditions that pharmaceutical firms, agents and consultants must follow before promoting any medicinal product in Oman. The decision was issued on May 29 and will come into effect from today. Under the new rules, only licensed pharmaceutical companies, authorised local agents and approved pharmaceutical consulting offices can advertise medicines. All advertising must be pre-approved by the Drug Safety Centre. To be eligible for a licence, the product must be registered, and the advertising content must match the approved drug leaflet and summary of product characteristics. It must clearly define the target audience and avoid any wording that could mislead consumers, exaggerate benefits, harm public health or breach public morals. 'The objective is to protect consumers from misleading information and to ensure that advertisements remain factual and within the ethical boundaries of public health,' a ministry official said. Applicants must submit a copy of the advertisement, the drug's registration certificate, proof of fee payment and any other documents requested by the centre. The Drug Safety Centre is mandated to respond within 60 days. No response within that timeframe implies rejection. If an application is found incomplete, the applicant will be given 30 days to address shortcomings. Failure to do so within that period will result in application cancellation. Licences are valid for three months and may be renewed for similar periods. Renewal requests must be submitted at least 20 days before licence expiry and will be assessed under the same terms. Advertisers must include the licence number in all materials and documentation, use only approved formats and obtain prior approval for any change. Advertising prescription-only medicines is restricted to scientific publications or at conferences and professional meetings attended by pharmacists and healthcare workers.
Observer
01-06-2025
- Health
- Observer
MoH bans unauthorized medicine commercials
Muscat: The Ministry of Health on Sunday issued Ministerial Resolution No 135/2025, which specifies the conditions and procedures for advertising or promoting medicines. The resolution bans advertising or promoting medicines by any entity other than pharmaceutical companies, local agents, or pharmaceutical consulting offices, with the exception of scientific offices, unless they have obtained prior authorization from the Drug Safety Centre (DSC). In order to obtain a license, the resolution requires that the medicine be officially registered and that the advertisement content be consistent with the internal leaflet and the Summary of Drug Properties (SmPC) specifying the target groups for the advertisement. According to the decision, the advertisement must also adhere to public order and public morals and be free of any content that could harm public health or contain misleading information, exaggerations or insults to other medicines in accordance with the DSC's approved advertising guide. The DSC allows a period not exceeding 60 days to review and decide on the license application. Failure to respond within this period shall be considered a rejection of the application. In case of missing documents or information, the applicant will be notified and given 30 days to complete the missing information, otherwise the application will be cancelled. The applicant may submit a new application 30 days after the date of the rejection decision. The license term is set at 3 months, renewable with the same conditions. The renewal application must be submitted at least 20 days before the license expires. The decision allows for the submission of a grievance to the Minister of Health within 60 days of the rejection decision. A decision must be made within 30 days. Failure to decide within this period constitutes a rejection of the grievance. The DSC also has the right to suspend the license if health risks or the drug's ineffectiveness are identified.
