By Elizabeth Mwai
Pharmaceuticals manufacturers based in Africa want an increase in the global drug market share, a position they say could enable them effectively contribute to world trade.
Until now, African-based pharmaceuticals have played a peripheral role in drug production, a factor that has shut them out of the multi-million dollar industry and kept cost of drugs high in the continent.
Dr Willis Akhwale, head of disease control at Public Health Ministry cited high cost of treatment for many ailments particularly, Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV/Aids. This worrying scenario, he contends, could have been addressed if the continent’s players were actively involved in research work for these drugs.
"Having drugs manufactured locally will not only reduce costs, but also ease the time used to procure such drugs," explained Akhwale.
An industry association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb, Glaxo-Wellcome, and Pfizer, which make the most widely used Aids drugs, had in 2001 charged South Africa with violating the World Trade Organisation’s rules regarding patents and intellectual property.
However, there was nothing illegal about what South Africa was doing, and so the actions of the pharmaceutical industry drew a lot of criticism that they were concerned mostly about the impacts to their sales.
Property rights
However, the World Trade Organisation’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement is controversial for many other aspects in its provisions, it still allows the ability for South Africa to produce cheaper drugs due to national emergencies and because it is for public, non-commercial use.
Subsequent strong lobbying by Act Up-New York, James Love, Ralph Nader’s Consumer Project on Technology and others seem to have managed to force Gore to back down, for now.
However, that has not stopped the pharmaceutical industry continuing to pursue its interests. Some 40 such companies took South Africa to court beginning of March 2001, over language in the Medicines Act, which would allow for generic production and parallel importing of affordable Aids drugs.
The public outrage around the world that resulted from these companies trying to do such a thing, while people were dying led to them drop their case in April, 2001.
Speaking at a city hotel during the two-day manufacturers meeting, Akhwale said the country has had numerous complaints of drug stock-outs, apparently due to the tedious procurement process.
He cites the recent condom and tuberculosis stock-out, which brought to light the need to empower local pharmaceutical industries.
Akhwale said during the meeting with pharmaceutical manufacturers, concerns were raised on how to bring down mounting cost of treatment.
The objective of the meeting was to hold discussions on strategies that can be employed to improve the standards of drug manufacturing in the continent besides ensuring their competitive pricing. Over 100 African heads of pharmaceutical manufacturing companies attended the meeting in Nairobi to strategise on how to strengthen the continent’s drug production capacity.
Dr Wilberforce Wanyanga , an official with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) reckons that challenges facing local pharmaceutical industry include stiff competition from imports of generic medicine and access to raw materials.
"African Governments do not offer incentives for the local industry to compete on the same level as international companies," explained Wanyaga.
Manufacturers have expressed concern that whereas the medicines imports are zero-rated, importers still have to pay Value Added Tax charges upfront, making it costly for the industry players to stock.
Wanyaga said it was ironical that a country like Kenya, which is a regional pharmaceutical hub, continues to import Artemisinin Combination Therapy yet it is the