We have capacity to produce quality, affordable medicine— Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association
The President of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana, Mr Ernest Bediako Sampong, has assured that industry players have the capacity to produce quality and affordable medicine to meet demand and supply of the public.
He was optimistic that, “over time, Ghana will become the pharmaceutical hub in the West African sub-region.”
Mr Sampong gave the assurance in an interview with the Daily Graphic in reaction to a front page story published in the Tuesday, May 23, 2017 edition of the paper on the decision by the government to ban the importation of 49 medicines that have been reserved for local manufacturers.
He described the intervention by the government as “timely and in the right direction as it takes us closer to our determination to produce 60 per cent of the nation’s medicine requirements locally.”
Significance
According to Mr Sampong, the intervention by the government would help in sustaining the National Health Insurance Scheme and make Ghanaians healthier since there would be easy access to quality and affordable medicines at all times.
He said the new directive would also benefit local manufacturers as well as boost the economy, “as there will be ready market for local products which will help drive investment and give opportunity for growth. Additionally, as the industry grows, employment would be created and jobs provided at the same time to reduce our use of foreign exchange.”
Mr Bediako Sampong further intimated that if manufacturers were able to grow and produce at lower costs, their exports would also become competitive.
According to him, the decision would possibly attract other exporters of medicines to relocate to Ghana to boost the industry as a result of technology transfer.
Medicines
The list of medicines to be manufactured locally include aluminium hydroxide or magnesium trisilicate suspension, amoxicillin capsules and suspension. Others are aspirin or caffeine tablet, folic acid tablet, cetirizine tablet, co-trimoxazole tablet and diclofenac tablet, magnesium trisilicate suspension and tablet and oral rehydration salt (ORS).
The rest are paracetamol syrup, paracetamol tablet, paracetamol or codeine tablet, simple linctus syrup, vitamin B complex tablet and multivitamin tablets (vitamins A acetate, B1, B2, B12, D3, nicotinimie, calcium pantothenate), Ibrufen tablet and cough mixture that contains carbocisteine diphengydramine, gualfenesin or ammonium chloride as a single ingredient.
Rationale
The action by the government was in compliance with the Africa Union’s (AU’s) Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa which aspired to strengthen Africa’s ability to produce high quality and affordable pharmaceuticals across all essential medicines as its contribution to improving health outcomes and realisation of direct and indirect economic benefits.
The plan was endorsed by Heads of State and Governments at the AU Summit in Accra in 2007.
The move was initiated by the erstwhile NDC administration. The former Minister of Health, Mr Alex Segbefia, signed the gazette notification on December 23, 2016.
Background
The government listed the 49 medicines in a gazette, Executive Instrument 181 (E.I. 181) dated May 10, 2017 and signed by the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, and copied to relevant health authorities including the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and the Ministry of Trade and Industry which was obtained by Graphic Online.