CILFA, The Argentinian Generic And Biosimilar Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association, Joins IGBA

IGBA, the International Generic and Biosimilar medicines Association, representing global manufacturers of generic and biosimilar medicines, announced today that the Cámara Industrial de Laboratorios Farmacéuticos Argentinos (CILFA) has been accepted and welcomed as a new IGBA Associate Member.

CILFA is an Argentinian association representing 38 generic and biosimilar pharmaceutical manufacturers with a 68% share of the Argentinian market in 2019, and a strong outreach throughout Latin America. CILFA has been acknowledged as a Non-Governmental Organization by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

“We are very pleased to welcome another South American Association”, commented Hanan Sboul, IGBA Chair. “One of our goals is to be a representative body for the global generic and biosimilar medicines industries by attracting the widest assembly of members who are committed to subscribing to our standards and common principles and to match the continuous expansion of the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH)”.

”Argentina’s Regulatory Authority (Administración Nacional de Medicamentos Alimentos y Tecnología Médica – ANMAT) has been a Member of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S) since January 2008, a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Regional Reference Authority for medicines since December 2009, and has ICH Observer status since June 2019”, Sboul added.

CILFA Executive Director, Eduardo Franciosi, commented "It is an honour for CILFA to participate as a member of IGBA, whose goals we fully share. We are delighted to work together to pursue balanced intellectual property and regulatory frameworks that provide a major benefit to society, and ensure patient access to affordable, quality, safe and effective medicines”.

“A top IGBA priority remains the promotion of global regulatory convergence, leading to harmonization of regulations relating to the quality of generic and biosimilar pharmaceutical products, especially ensuring strict adherence respectively to bioequivalence standards and comprehensive comparability studies, including a path for more tailored clinical biosimilar development”, stressed Suzette Kox, IGBA’s Secretary General. “Only by working together with manufacturers and regulators around the world, can we achieve greater harmonization and overall increased patient access to medicines”, Kox added.

About IGBA
The International Generic and Biosimilar medicines Association (IGBA) was founded to strengthen cooperation between associations representing manufacturers of generic and biosimilar medicines from around the world. The IGBA is at the forefront of preserving sustainable competition within our industry, by stimulating competitiveness and innovation in the pharmaceutical sector; thereby ensuring millions of patients around the world have access to high quality, pro-competitive medicines. For more information, visit www.igbamedicines.org.