Row over restriction on 142 drugs

-Pharmaceutical sector divided in a heated debate

By Elvis DARKO, Accra

The pharmaceutical sector in Ghana is embroiled in a heated debate over the proposed Executive Instrument (E.I.) 2023, which seeks to restrict the importation of some 142 medicines.

This contentious issue has sparked disagreements between key stakeholders, namely the Ghana National Chamber of Pharmacy (GNCoP) and the Pharmaceutical Importers and Wholesalers Association (PIWA) on one side, and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana on the other.

While GNCoP and PIWA are opposed to the proposed L.I, the pharmaceutical manufacturers are in favour of it.

GNCoP and PIWA opposed to L.I

The GNCoP and PIWA have raised concerns about the potential adverse effects of the proposed restrictions on public health.

They warn of possible medicine shortages, price increases, and even loss of human lives if E.I. 2023 is implemented.

These concerns stem from previous restrictions, which have strained the supply chain and exacerbated challenges faced by the health sector.

Mr. Fifi Yamoah Jnr., Executive Secretary of PIWA, highlighted deficiencies in local manufacturing capabilities and cautioned against the implementation of E.I. 2023.

He stressed the importance of thorough infrastructure assessment and proper data analysis before imposing restrictions that could have far-reaching consequences on public health.

Local pharmaceutical manufacturers support LI

In response, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana defended the proposed restrictions, emphasizing the government’s agenda to develop the local pharmaceutical industry

The Association noted that in the development of the new 142-list of molecules, due diligence and due process were followed to the letter.

40 medium to larger-scale manufacturers

They argued that there are 40 medium to larger-scale manufacturers, over 100 small-scale manufacturers, and over 5,000 pharmacists with the capability to manufacture these 142 medicines.

This presents a good opportunity to create jobs and grow the economy.

300 importers urged to go into manufacturing

The manufacturers want the 300 importers to see the restriction as an opportunity to become manufacturers so that local manufacturers can fulfill 70% of Ghana’s needs.

Redundant local capacities

Currently, most manufacturers operate an eight-hour shift instead of a 16-24 hour shift, and some machines are not being used continuously.

60m bags of infusions can be produced in Ghana

Ghana currently requires less than 30 million bags of infusions, and local manufacturers have the capacity to produce 60 million bags with plans to scale up to above 100 million bags for export under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.

According to them, some manufacturers have the capacity to produce one million bottles of syrups or suspensions in eight hours.

They disclosed that there are six GMP facilities with a roadmap to attain World Health Organization (WHO) pre-qualification, with 30 more companies at various stages of construction.

The government, through the EXIM Bank, has supported local manufacturers to achieve this success, which should be sustained.

They rejected the statement that supporting local manufacturers would create massive drug shortages and put the lives of well-meaning Ghanaians at risk, describing it as false and not to be entertained.

The current list has four schedules, with some medicines already restricted, some with three years before restriction, and others needing bioequivalence before restriction is granted.

Roadmap to support local manufacturing

The manufacturers insist that creating a roadmap to support local manufacturing is the way to go, as is being done by many countries to ensure medicine security.

According to them, the statement that procurement and value for money models would be compromised in atypical monopolistic situations is false and very misleading.

Job creation potentials

They said the reality is that for every 10 jobs created by the pharmaceutical importer; the pharmaceutical manufacturer creates 100 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs.

The manufacturers stated that from raw material analysis, warehousing, production, packaging to finished product analysis, among others, pharmaceutical manufacturers create more jobs than importers.

They added that the 300 importers can progress to become local manufacturers, as is happening in Nigeria, and 1,200 wholesalers would be maintained to distribute the various medicines manufactured in Ghana through West Africa and under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.

This, they said, would create over 1.5 million jobs directly and 15 million jobs indirectly.

Before the last restricted medicines list in 2016, there were 10 small-scale manufacturers. There are over 80 importers who have small-scale manufacturing facilities and would like to scale up.