This post will list the reference countries and authorities preferred by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA). Nevertheless, we should highlight that SFDA does not rely on the approvals issued by other countries. For different reasons, we witnessed many products rejected by the SFDA while they had approvals from reputable authorities. However, in the tables below, we include the reference authorities that, when a product carries one of their licenses, will probably have an easier SFDA assessment journey.
Drug
The SFDA will consider approvals from stringent regulatory authorities (SRA) during the drug registration. In fact, there is a specific location in the drug application where applicants can highlight such approvals. It also hugely reduces the SFDA review timelines. Here is the list of the reference countries and authorities:
| Human Products | European Medicine Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate (UK), Health Canada Drug Product Database, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, Food and Drug Administration (USA), The French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal Products, Health Products Regulatory Authority (Ireland), Federal Office of Consumer protection and Food Safety & Paul Ehrlich Institute (Germany), New Zealand Food Safety, Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Belgium), The Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Institute and Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (Spain). |
| Veterinary Products | European Medicine Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate (UK), Health Canada Drug Product Database, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, Food and Drug Administration (USA), The French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal Products, Health Products Regulatory Authority (Ireland), Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety & Paul Ehrlich Institute (Germany), New Zealand Food Safety, Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Belgium), The Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Institute and Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (Spain). |
Medical Devices
Since the SFDA mainly adopts the European Medical Device Regulations (MDR) and Medical Device Directives (MDD), they require the same technical file for medical device registration in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the SFDA reference for medical devices is EU CE registration, but it is not a must-have.
Food
The SFDA food evaluation committees in the food sector often refer to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).