Buenos Aires, June 26, 2026 (PAHO).– Representatives of the Reference National Regulatory Authorities of Regional Reference (NRArs) of the Americas met on June 23-24 in Buenos Aires to strengthen technical cooperation, promote regulatory convergence, and exchange experiences aimed at improving access to health technologies across the Region.
The meeting was organized by Argentina's National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Devices (ANMAT), in its role as the pro tempore chair of the NRAr Group, with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) as technical secretariat. Regional reference regulatory authorities, together with invited observer agencies, participated in the meeting, further consolidating a key platform for regional collaboration.
The opening session was attended by Argentina's Minister of Health, Mario Lugones; ANMAT National Administrator Luis Eduardo Fontana; and, on behalf of PAHO in Argentina, Health Systems and Services Advisor Cristóbal Cuadrado.
In their opening remarks, national authorities and PAHO representatives underscored the importance of regional cooperation to address shared challenges and ensure timely access to safe, effective, and quality medicines and other health technologies.
The meeting brought together senior leadership and other representatives from the eight National Regulatory Authorities of Regional Reference: ANMAT (Argentina), ANVISA (Brazil), Health Canada, ISP (Chile), INVIMA (Colombia), CECMED (Cuba), FDA (United States), and COFEPRIS (Mexico). Six National Regulatory Authorities also participated as observers: ARCSA (Ecuador), SRS (El Salvador), DNFD (Panama), DINAVISA (Paraguay), DIGEMID (Peru), and AVISU (Uruguay).
Advances in Strengthening National Regulatory Systems
During the meeting, representatives of the regulatory authorities exchanged knowledge and experiences on progress made in strengthening national regulatory systems for medicines and other health technologies, as well as efforts and best practices aimed at enhancing health resilience.
Particular attention was given to regional progress in adopting mechanisms for the use of regulatory decisions from other jurisdictions, commonly referred to as reliance.
Authorities also shared updates on their roadmaps toward the recognition of their regulatory capacities, based on new assessment mechanisms adopted globally.
The meeting concluded with agreements and recommendations aimed at advancing the mission of the NRAr Group and guiding its work plan toward the next biennial meeting.
