Reem K. Al-essa MSc, PhD, MBA

Dr. Reem Al-Essa has long and diversified experience in a pharmacy. Her main field of interest is in the area of pharmaceutical regulatory affairs and pharmacovigilance (PV). She started her career in the Ministry of Health, Drug and Food Control, Pharmaceutical and Herbal Medicines Registration and Control Administration in September 1999 as a Registration Reviewer, and 4 years later she was assigned to become the Drug Registration and Release Superintendent. During the course of her career development, she takes an MBA in General and Strategic Management to boost her knowledge & skills in strategic planning & management. In 2007, Dr. Al-Essa established a unit to assume the basic roles of PV. She then decided to focus on her academic development and continue with her Ph.D. in medicines regulations at Cardiff University, UK, and Eu2P MSc in Pharmacovigilance and Pharmacoepidemiology.

Dr. Al-Essa moved from the government sector to join the private sector as a community pharmacist but then moved back to the government and joined the Drug Inspection administration, where she continued to work on her goals to establish a solid ground for the Pharmacovigilance system in Kuwait. Meanwhile, she has been working effectively as a PV advocate through social media to increase awareness about the importance of PV and ADR reporting. Her social media project titled “Report Me Kuwait” appears on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat. She managed with a team of qualified & experienced pharmacists in the regulatory, clinical & academic fields to compile the new Kuwait Pharmacovigilance Guidelines, approved in June 2019.

Dr. Al-Essa was promoted in July 2019 as The Coordination and Development Superintendent at the Pharmaceutical Services Administration, Ministry of Health. This position was an excellent opportunity to develop, promote and manage pharmacovigilance and ADR reporting in government hospitals and primary care clinics. In October 2020, She became the Director of the Drug Inspection Administration. The main role of this administration is to ensure that all medicines and health products are registered and are being marketed, used, and handled safely as per pharmacy law 28/1996. At the same time, she was assigned to take the role of Deputy Director of Pharmaceutical & Herbal Medicines Registration and Control Administration, which is an additional role to monitor the quality, safety, & efficacy of medicines and health products prior to issuing the marketing approval in Kuwait.