Prohibition to import locally produced drugs – Prof Adei

General News on Thursday, April 25, 2019

Source: Graphic.com.gh

2019-04-25

Professor Stephen Adei, chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), called for expanding the list of banned imported medicines to include more drugs that can be produced locally.

This, he said, would go a long way in intensifying efforts to make Ghana a center for pharmaceutical manufacturing in West Africa.

The government, under an executive instrument in 2017, banned the import of 49 drugs, including suspension of magnesium trisilicate, capsules and suspension of amoxicillin and rehydration salt Oral, reserved for local manufacturers.

According to Professor Adei, at a conference organized in Accra last Tuesday by the Pharmaceutical Society to examine ways to make the country a hub of pharmaceutical manufacturing, there were many other foreign brands of pharmaceuticals which local manufacturers had the capacity. produce.

"The government must be bold to engage industry players and ban the import of these products to stimulate local manufacturing," he urged, noting that Expanding the short list would only improve local manufacturing without hindering access.

Concern

Professor Adei, who chaired the conference, also expressed concern about what he described as a trend on the part of some buyers, including government agencies that were buying "cheap" pharmaceuticals in Asia rather than locally produced products that cost less. "

He added that while such decisions can generate short-term gains, they could delay the progress of local businesses and lead to their collapse in the long run.

He emphasized the need to provide financial support to local pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to enable them to expand their business and develop their ability to compete globally.

Conference

Organized by the Ghana Pharmaceutical Company (PSGH) and Colorcon, a global pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply company, the conference brought together producers and suppliers of pharmaceuticals, pharmacists, institutions and other Pharmaceutical industry.

It was on the theme: "Ghana as a hub of pharmaceutical manufacturing – the way forward for national development".

PSGH President Benjamin Botwe explained that the decision to engage in discussions on the pharmaceutical sector was part of his mandate to ensure accessible and quality pharmaceutical services for all. .

He added that, as part of its commitments, PSGH had developed a 10-year strategic plan to promote local manufacturing.

The chief executive of the Ghana Chamber of Pharmacy, Mr. Anthony Ameka, agreed with Professor Adei that access to funds was a determining factor in the progress of the pharmaceutical industry and called on the government to provide flexible credit facilities for local producers.

Sector Strategic Document

The Minister of Planning, Professor George Gyan-Baffour, for his part said that the pharmaceutical industry is a leading sector for the economic development of the country.

For this reason, he said that his team was working closely with the NDPC to speed up the drafting of the Ghana Pharmaceutical Sector Strategic Paper, which he describes as "a good starting point for the discussion to make from Ghana a pharmaceutical manufacturing center ".