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Veep asks
Pharmaceutical companies to step up production
Accra, March 2, GNA- Pharmaceutical companies in Ghana have
been asked to improve on their capacity in order to produce
most of the items under the Essential Drug List, to reduce
the national dependence on imported drugs.
Vice President Alhaji Mahama, who made the request in Accra
on Friday said importation of drugs was a drain on the
country’s foreign exchange resources.
“One way out of this is the possibility of producing raw
materials locally to feed the pharmaceutical industry in
order to reduce the cost of production and enhance the
competitiveness of the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector,”
he said.
Vice President Mahama was speaking at the Golden Jubilee
celebrations of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association
in Ghana on the theme: 50 Years of Pharmaceutical Industry
in Ghana-The Way Forward.
He said: “I have however been made to understand that you
are producing only 30 per cent of drugs on the Ghana
Essential Drug List.”
Vice President Mahama said the quality of locally
manufactured drugs compared favourably with the imported
ones in terms of international standards of safety, efficacy
and quality.
“It is also gratifying to note that your products are
patronised by countries in the West African Sub-Region.”
Vice President Mahama said Government had removed the Value
Added Tax (VAT) and import duties on active pharmaceutical
raw materials.
“This year, all pharmaceutical raw materials and packaging
materials are zero-rated to ensure that locally produced
pharmaceutical products compete favourably with their
imported counterparts.”
There is tax exemption on 66 active pharmaceutical
ingredients. VAT and import duties on raw materials and
packaging materials used for the manufacturing of drugs for
the treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria have
also been removed.
He called for collaboration between members of the
Association and herbalists to facilitate healthcare
delivery.
Mr. Alan Kyerematen, Minister of Trade, Industry, Private
Sector Development and President’s Special Initiatives, who
chaired the function, said the industrial sector had a
significant contribution to make to the attainment of the
national objective of becoming a middle-income country with
a per capita income of 1,000 dollars by 2015.
He said the importation of pharmaceutical products continued
to be on the increase, saying between 2001 and 2005 imports
had increased from 32.1 million dollars to 59.5 million
dollars.
“These figures do not include the import of ethyl and
alcohol sugar,” he said.
Mr Kyeramaten said: “We have the potential to drastically
reduce our import bills on drugs. Our research institutes
have carried out extensive research on the medicinal
potentials of our plants and herbs but these unfortunately
are yet to be commercially exploited.”
Dr. Michael Agyekum Addo, President of the Association
appealed to the Government to give incentives to
pharmaceutical companies such as soft loans and very
encouraging terms of payments to be able to meet the drug
demands of the country.
He said members who invested in the manufacturing of
Artesunate /Amodiaquine, lost heavily when the anti-malarial
drugs were withdrawn, hence the need for government to
compensate the entrepreneurs.
Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei Deputy Minister of Health said the
pharmaceutical companies were producing at less capacity
saying 900 out of the 3,000 drugs registered by the Food and
Drugs Board locally.
The President of the Accra-based West Africa Pharmaceutical
Manufacturers Association, Mr Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa said the
Sub-Regional body would ensure quality marketing and
regulatory standards of pharmaceutical products.
Five Companies including Major and Co the first
pharmaceutical company in Ghana that started operation in
1957 were awarded certificates by the Vice President.
GNA
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