Bridgetown, Barbados, July 1, 2026.- Barbados has reached a major milestone in strengthening its national regulatory system for medical products with the successful passage of the Barbados Medical Products Authority (BMPA) Bill through Parliament.
The creation of the BMPA represents a significant step forward in Barbados’ ongoing efforts to ensure the safety, quality, and efficacy of medicines and other health technologies available to its population. Once operational, the Authority will play a central role in regulating pharmaceuticals, vaccines, medical devices, and other health products, strengthening oversight across the entire product lifecycle.
A milestone in regulatory system strengthening
The approval of the BMPA builds on sustained efforts by the Government of Barbados, supported by PAHO, to enhance its regulatory system in line with international best practices. Over the past several years, the country has undertaken a structured and phased process to develop a comprehensive legal and institutional framework for medical product regulation.
This process has included the modernization of legislation, the development of regulatory guidelines, and the establishment of key functions such as market authorization, pharmacovigilance and post-market surveillance. The new Authority will consolidate all essential regulatory functions under a single institutional framework, improving efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
The decision to create a national regulatory authority aligns with regional and global commitments to strengthen health systems and ensure timely access to safe and effective medical products and building lasting public health resilience.
PAHO and EU support throughout the process
The establishment of the BMPA has been supported by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the European Union (EU), which have provided sustained technical cooperation.
PAHO has worked closely with national counterparts and key partners to support the development of regulatory frameworks, build institutional capacity, and guide the design of the new Authority. This collaboration has included technical advice on governance structures, regulatory functions, and implementation planning, as well as support for training and capacity building.
Earlier initiatives focused on strengthening Barbados’ regulatory foundations, including the development of legislation and guidelines, as well as advancing key regulatory functions such as post-market surveillance systems. These efforts laid the groundwork for the transition toward a fully operational national regulatory authority.
Strengthening access to quality-assured health technologies
The establishment of the BMPA is expected to bring tangible benefits to the population by improving oversight of medical products throughout their lifecycle—from authorization and importation to distribution and use.
A strong regulatory authority helps ensure that medicines and other health technologies meet quality standards, reduces the risk of substandard or falsified products entering the market, and supports timely access to essential treatments. It also enhances the country’s ability to respond to public health emergencies by enabling more efficient regulatory decision-making.
Furthermore, the BMPA will contribute to positioning Barbados as a leading regulator in the Caribbean, expected to strengthen the subregion’s regulatory systems capacities, and engagement with regional regulatory networks and international cooperation mechanisms, strengthening collaboration and information sharing with other countries. PAHO will continue to support Barbados’ national authorities in strengthening regulatory capacities, in alignment with the national roadmap to achieve WHO Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT) Maturity Level 3 by 2029.
