Buy Our Products - Pharmaceutical Companies Appeal To Govt

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DANADAMS Pharmaceuticals Company Limited, Dr Yaw Adu Gyamfi has appealed to government to commit to buy products of indigenous pharmaceutical companies to make them competitive as well as limit the influx of fake and substandard pharmaceutical products.

According to him, this would give meaning to the government’s ‘buy made-in-Ghana’ agenda meant to improve the fortunes of the economy and create more jobs.

For example, he said that the Government of Ghana has since 2012 not made any purchase of Antiretrovirals (ARVs) from Danadams.

Presently, most of the medicines bought by government are procured from foreign pharmaceutical companies. 

Speaking to The Finder in an interview, Dr Adu Gyamfi also entreated government to remove taxes and levies on local pharmaceutical products in order to make local pharmaceutical companies more competitive to check the influx of substandard products. 

He is also asking government to allocate a fixed budget amount annually for locally manufactured drugs, as well as guarantee to buy them.

This, according to him, will enable the pharmaceutical industry in the country take advantage of the vast opportunities that abound to enable them expand productivity and provide the needed jobs.

Additionally, he noted that a formidable local pharmaceutical industry is the country’s best bet at ending the cycle of dependence on donor funds, ending the phenomenon of stock-outs and procurement delays in providing vital pharmaceutical products to the citizenry.

 “Our people suffer when life-saving drugs are not accessible because of stock-outs and procurement delays that are characteristic of an import-based healthcare system,” he stated.

Dr Adu-Gyamfi, who spoke in an interview with The Finder, reiterated the fact that a strong manufacturing sector is instrumental in complementing government’s efforts to create jobs and encourage a more skilled workforce.

To him, “Health Security” is synonymous to “Food Security,” and needs government’s commitment to develop.

“We want to build a strong company that makes a valuable contribution to creating a healthy Africa, because we believe every African should have an opportunity to make their own success happen.”

Support for ARV production 

Dr Adu-Gyamfi also appealed to government to support the local manufacturing of Antiretroviral (ARV) drugs. 

Currently, Danadams is the only ARV manufacturing company in Ghana and one of three in West Africa. 

According to him, the market for ARVs and anti-malaria drugs is huge, but said access to finance remains a major hurdle for the company to expand and upgrade its plants to meet the growing market demands.

He mentioned, for example, that currently there are rules excluding Danadams from Global Fund Tenders due to lack of a WHO Prequalification.

He told The Finder that although his company has been able to secure a US$9.5 million facility from the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development, it is awaiting government  to give it an additional funding of  US$8.5 million to enable it  acquire the WHO quality certification.

He was concerned that although there are about 5.3 million people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa, African governments lack funds to buy locally-produced ARVs.