African countries are too dependent on importation of active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Africa carries a heavy health burden. It accounts for 25% of the global disease burden despite having only 18% of the global population.
The situation reflects deep-rooted challenges in healthcare access, infrastructure, and socioeconomic conditions.
Yet the continent produces only 3% of global medicines. It imports over 70% of its medicines. This makes medicine expensive and supply unreliable, dependent on global supply chains.
Africa imports over 95% of its active pharmaceutical ingredients, mainly from India and China. Importing them makes local production expensive and vulnerable to foreign pricing. This dependency has a severe impact on access to essential medicines.
The COVID-19 pandemic starkly exposed this vulnerability. Major medicines exporting countries such as China and India imposed export restrictions to prioritise domestic needs. This left African manufacturers unable to source critical ingredients and medicines. As a result many local pharmaceutical operations stalled. Essential medicines, including antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer treatments, became scarce.
At the heart of the challenge is the over-reliance on imports of active pharmaceutical ingredients. These are key components that make medicines work. Without them, there are no drugs.
Africa imports over 95% of its active pharmaceutical ingredients, mainly from India and China. Importing them makes local production expensive and vulnerable to foreign pricing. This dependency has a severe impact on access to essential medicines.
One example is capecitabine, a medicine used to treat certain cancers. In South Africa, for instance, a six-month course of capecitabine costs about US$2,200. The price underscores the affordability crisis in cancer care across the region.
Making active pharmaceutical ingredients locally would reduce costs by cutting out import fees and shipping delays. It would also boost local economies by creating jobs and encouraging innovation.
I am a chemist with expertise in developing agile, cost-effective and Afrocentric processes for producing active pharmaceutical ingredients. In a recent review, my co-authors and I highlighted the benefits and hurdles in the local manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients on the continent.
Soure: The Conversation
