Dr. Vijith Gunasekera gets new top post after removal from NMRA

Former Director/CEO of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) has been appointed as the director of the Medical Research Institute (MRI).

Responding to an inquiry made by Ada Derana in this regard, Minister of Health Dr. Ramesh Pathirana explained that prior to his appointment as the CEO of the NMRA, Dr. Vijith Gunasekera served as the director of the MRI.

Thus, following his removal from his positions within the NMRA, he was reappointed as the director of the MRI, the Minister explained.

Meanwhile, senior scientist D. D. Bulathsinhala was appointed as the Acting CEO of the NMRA on 09 November.

Former Director General/CEO of the NMRA Dr. Vijith Gunasekera was recalled to the Ministry of Health on 07 November, on the heels of an overseas travel ban imposed by the court.

On 31 October, the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court enforced an overseas travel ban on three including Dr. Gunasekera, the Director (Supplies Division) of the Ministry of Health Dr. Kapila Wickramanayake and Sugath Janaka Fernando alias ‘Aruna Deepthi’, the owner of the company involved in forging documents to import a batch of substandard human intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG).

The product, which was said to have been manufactured by Livealth Biopharma Pvt Ltd. India, was imported by a local medicine supplier called Isolez Biotech Pharma AG (Pvt) Ltd. However, the India-based manufacturer has denied having to do anything with this fraudulent activity and has communicated to the NMRA that it had neither manufactured, supplied nor exported these products to any party.

It was found that funds amounting to Rs. 130 million had been misappropriated through the unlawful importation of 22,500 vials of IVIG.