Dubai: A research park here will test pharmaceutical drugs used in the emirate to ensure their safety, as part of its collaboration with Dubai's health department.

Dubai Department of Health and Medical Services (Dohms) and Dubiotech yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding to promote biotechnology in the UAE at the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress, which concludes tomorrow.

Qadi Saeed Al Murooshid, director-general of Dohms, said this was a necessary move to ensure that Dohms patients benefitted from the drugs.

"Dohms is a consumer of the medicines. We have to make sure that there is some quality control," he told reporters after signing the MoU.

Dr Abdul Qader Al Khayat, executive director of Dubiotech, said the testing would ensure that consumers were not be cheated and endangered by the drugs.

"The drug testing centre must verify if the contents of the medicine are the same as on the label," he said. He said the medicines would be tested if the pharmaceutical department at the Ministry of Health, Dohms and any pharmaceutical company requested it. The research park will also test any drugs at their own initiative.

He added that generic drugs, such as Julphar Pharmaceuticals's Flufly the generic version of Tamiflu would also be tested to ensure the effectiveness of the medicine. Once the drugs have been tested, they will receive certification from Dubiotech.

Dr Al Khayat said the collaboration also meant that the park would be conducting the medical research for Dohms.

Thalassemia and diabetes are some of the major health concerns that Dubiotech will research, he added.