Providing access to safe medicines in the Pacific

Samoa and Vanuatu will participate in Australia's Pacific Medicines Testing Program, following the signing of agreements with both nations today.

The Program, which aims to assure the safety of medicines in the region, provides participating countries with the opportunity to have up to five medicines tested per year, at no cost, in Australia's world-class testing facilities at the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Three of the tests provided are for commonly used antibiotics and medicines to treat non-communicable diseases. The remaining two tests are for responsive testing where a potential problem has been identified with a medicine by a participating country.

The supply of quality medicines is a long standing issue facing many nations in the region.

Kiribati, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu are currently participating in the program, which we aim to make available to countries across the Pacific.

The Pacific Medicines Testing Program, which commenced in August 2017, is part of Australia's commitment to strengthen our engagement for a more resilient, safe, secure and prosperous Pacific. This is one of the five priorities for Australia's foreign policy set out in our 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper.

Assuring the supply of quality medicines helps build strong communities.

Australia is committed to the safety and security of the people of the Pacific Islands.