His Excellency the Chief Executive Officer of SFDA, Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Mishal Inaugurated the International Regulatory Commission of Herbal Drugs (IRCH) meeting, in the presence of 33 professionals from Riyadh.

Dr. Al Mishal Said in his opening speech of the meeting, held under the auspices of SFDA and in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO): "I am delighted to welcome you to this unique meeting, which brings together representatives from international regulatory and Authorities in the field of drug and World Health Organization, to share information and experiences about herbal products and adoption of international best practices to ensure quality, safety and efficacy "

To this effect, the medical coordinator of the Complementary Alternative Medicine at  the World Health Organization, Dr. Zhang Kyi, thanked SFDA for hosting the Organization meeting, and looked forward for organization to benefit from the  meeting Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom’s experience in the field of herbal drugs regulation.

Dr. Zhang pointed out to the importance of participating in such scientific meetings that are held annually, and resulting in  blending different experiences around the world.

The meeting aims to identify and discuss priorities related to the quality, safety and efficacy of herbal medicines issues, and to explore problems related to quality, safety and efficacy of herbal medicine, and to find the appropriate solutions and to review and assess the activities of the organization’s groups during the previous years, and to identify priorities, actions, and propose activities for the following year, and discuss the development programs available to (MedNet) members which allow discussions and share important information in a secure manner in the gield of regulation and registration of herbal products.

It worth mentioning that the International Regulatory Commission of Herbal Drugs (IRCH), is managed by the World Health Organization (WHO), and its meetings are held regularly every year. The beginning was when the organization only held collective workshops for regulations development to address herbal medicines. in November 2005 in Ottawa, Canada, the meeting was attended by representatives from 16 countries.  The participants agreed on the establishment of the International Regulatory Commission of Herbal Drugs (IRCH).

The first actual meeting was held in October 2006 in China, and the Kingdom joined the Organization membership in 2009.

Currently the organization consists of 31 members. Membership ia represented by attendants of representatives of each country or the following groups (Argentina, Armenia, ASEAN, Australia, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Cuba, European Union, Ghana, Hungary , India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Pakistan, Latin America, Peru, Portugal, South Korea, Singapore, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, and the World Health Organization).