Executive Directorate of Laboratories

The Executive Directorate of Laboratories is responsible for managing and supervision of the pharmaceutical laboratories that belong to drug sector in SFDA to assure their conformity with the requirements of the international quality and competence standards. In addition, the department is responsible for the analysis of imported or locally manufactured drugs (human, Veterinary), biological, healthy, herbal and cosmetic products in order to ensure their compliance with the standards of international pharmacopeia and world health organization as well as the authoritys national standards.

Responsibilities:

• Developing the sectors laboratories and equipping them with qualified staff and modern instruments.
• Working on the accreditation and certification of the sectors laboratories in the field of quality.
• Supervision of the experimental animals center.
• Providing the training and developing sources to the laboratories staff.
• Performing all types of analysis that required by the sector.

Divisions:

• Support Department for Laboratories:

  It is responsible of providing the support needed by Drug or cosmetics’ laboratories that belong to Drug Sector and it has the following sections:

  • Sample Receiving sectoin:
  
  Where all samples to be analyzed are checked and then distributed to the needed department.
  • Laboratories’ Quality assurance sectoin:
  
  Its task to ensure that Quality systems and guidelines are followed in laboratories beside preparation for accreditation.
  • Technical Maintenance sectoin:
  
  Provides the preventive periodical maintenance PPM.
  • Analytical File review section.
  
  
  • Experimental animals center:
  
  Rresponsible for providing and breeding of animals used in biological testing.
  • Lab informatics section:
  
  Is responsible of implementing, monitoring and providing both training and support for LIMS users in the laboratories.
  • Warehouse section:
  
  Rresponsible for monitoring the availability of chemicals and standards used for testing.

• Technical Departments:
  • Human and veterinary products analysis department:
  
  

  This department is responsible of checking the quality of human and veterinary medicines for registration, clearance or PMS programs.

  • Herbal and food suppliments analysis Department:
  
  

  It is responsible of checking the quality of herbal and health products for registration or PMS program.

  • Biological products analysis department
  
  

  It monitors the quality of Vaccines, serums and blood derivatives according to international requirements and pharmacopeial standards.

  • Unknowns and complaint samples analysis department:
  
  

  It is responsible of investigation of unknown products beside the traditional herbal mixtures to reveal the exact contents in addition to dealing with complaints from medicines.

  • Cosmetics’ analysis laboratorios in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam:
  
  

  These labs were distributed to analyze cosmetic products for clearance in different areas according to statistics of imported cosmetics as the following:

  • Cosmetics’ lab in Riyadh:
  
  

  It monitors the safety and quality of cosmetics marketed in Saudi Arabia through various studies that focus on different cosmetic products.

• Cosmetics’ lab in Jeddah:



Responsible for testing of cosmetic products for clearance purpose through Jeddah Islamic Port or King Abdulaziz International airport.

• Cosmetics’ Lab in Dammam:



Responsible for testing of cosmetic products for clearance purpose through ports in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia.