India Meets Criteria to Join OECD "Mutual Acceptance of Data" Program

India has now met all of the requirements to be accepted into the OECD Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD) program.  It did so by demonstrating that it could successfully conduct health and safety testing under Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs), which is the standard for such testing in all thirty-four of the OECD countries (which includes EU countries, the US and Canada, among others).  The achievement allows Indian chemical manufacturers to conduct and provide single tests in support of their products in all OECD countries.  This makes it easier and less costly to enter the marketplace.

The achievement is important because OECD consists of mostly economically developed countries, and India joins Brazil, Singapore and South Africa as the only developing countries to meet the tough OECD standards.  Being able to enjoy the benefits of the MAD program will greatly enhance marketability.  MAD is the system in which the results of a set of health and safety studies can be submitted in support of a product, and acceptance by a rapporteur member state is deemed acceptance by all member states.

ECHA Reports that REACH and CLP Chemical Regulations are "Working Well"

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently published two reports, both required by law, in which they conclude that despite many industry misgivings prior to enactment, the REACH and CLP regulations are "working well and that the various actors responsible for the work are responding as required." REACH is the chemical control law in Europe and the CLP is the Classification, Labeling and Packaging Regulation.  ECHA attributes the success largely to "the commitment and collaborative work between industry, stakeholders, the Member States, the European Comission and ECHA."

According to their press release, ECHA offers "three key lessons" from the experience:

•    The uncertainty over the number of registrations for the first deadline was a challenge to manage and more accurate estimates would be helpful in future.
•   Close working relationships with industry and stakeholders are vital to ensure success and the Agency can help by providing stable tools and guidance.
•    The interrelationship between the various elements of the two regulations is important and has become increasingly apparent.  For example, ambiguities in substance identification can lead to problems in forming Substance Information Exchange Fora (SIEF), evaluation and risk management activities. 

The report, which can be downloaded here as a PDF, offered recommendations for improving implementation of the laws in the future.

A second report on the implementation of efforts to reduce unnecessary animal testing can also be downloaded as a PDF here.