Article 23 of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Establishments Law

This article addresses a special case in which products may be imported before they are registered. The Authority may allow the import of pharmaceutical and herbal products before registration, on two conditions:

1. Necessity: this must be when necessary.
2. No prohibition: the products must be not prohibited.

The rule is discretionary: permission is a power of the Authority, which it assesses, and not an automatic right of the importer. The article does not define "necessity" or state its controls, and does not specify which products are prohibited.

This exception has practical importance: in some cases the market may need a product whose registration has not yet been completed, and the text lets the Authority deal with that.

It is preceded by Article 22, which bars export except after the Authority's approval, and followed by Article 24, which allows the President to cancel the registration of a factory or product and stop its circulation on the recommendation of the competent registration committee.

To see how this rule affects a particular situation, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specializes in health and pharmaceutical regulation.