It was reported on 22nd August that the process of renewing the registration of medicinal drugs and equipment has been severely affected due to a loss of data of the Lankan Government Cloud (LGC) server of the NMRA. It was also reported that the data of the NMRA on the LGC has been erased by an employee of the private company that stored the data on behalf of the NMRA: https://www.newsfirst.lk/2021/08/23/what-happened-to-the-nmras-data-cloud/. The NMRA, issuing a statement has mentioned that a 5 year agreement had been signed in 2018 between a company named Epic Lanka Technologies and the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka to develop the e-database, while ensuring the security of data within the system. However, they have not denied that a data loss has taken place. They in fact has accepted that an issue had arisen with the system, but has requested the public to not have any unnecessary fear of a surge in medicine prices or on any importation of substandard medicinal drugs. The statement further mentioned that all arrangements are being made to issue licenses for the importation of essential medicinal drugs. It has also mentioned that further information will be revealed in due course as a criminal investigation is underway by the Criminal Investigation Department. Read more here: https://www.newsfirst.lk/2021/08/26/missing-enmra-cloud-data-jeopardized-national-security/. Meanwhile, the JVP has urged the government to name the four officials who had access to missing data at the NMRA: https://island.lk/jvp-asks-govt-to-name-officials-who-had-access-to-missing-data-at-nmra/. The ICTA is to obtain assistance from the University of Moratuwa to initiate a recovery process: https://www.newsfirst.lk/2021/08/29/enmra-datascam-icta-moratuwa-uni-to-recover-files-that-mysteriously-disappeared/. More technical details as to the best practices of data storage and broader implications of this data loss can be found here: https://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/news/mystery-deepens-over-missing-files-on-nmra-cloud-service-provider-had-no-backup-452555.html.