EAC countries battling drug shortage

East African Community (EAC) member states are facing a drug shortage and must import between 70 and 90 per cent of the medicine they consume.

The EAC is planning to bridge this gap by investing in the local pharmaceutical industry, where the drugs are made locally at home.

In a press release, the EAC Director of Productive Sector, Jean Baptiste Havigumana, said there is a need for partners to develop a consistent regional list of medicines that can be manufactured locally to improve the pharmaceutical sector.  

“The EAC Partner States import between 70 to 90 per cent of the medicines that the region’s population consumes, and as a region, we recognise the strategic importance of developing local production of pharmaceutical products,” said Baptiste during a two-day workshop to validate a draft study report on investment incentives for antibiotic production in the region.

“In promoting access to affordable, high quality, essential medicines, an aspiration we pursue through the implementation of the EAC Regional Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan of Action,” he added.

He stated that the region is still heavily reliant on imported pharmaceutical products because local firms are unable to manufacture advanced medicine.

Ermias Biadgleng, a representative of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development [UNCTAD], stated that regional approaches were critical in developing a sustainable pharmaceutical sector.

“Middle and high-income countries provide subsidies for their pharmaceutical sectors, the EAC region should establish pricing incentives for locally produced pharmaceuticals if the sector is to grow in the region,” said Mr Biadgleng.

Biadgleng disclosed that UNCTAD was keen to support the region in the production and supply of antibiotics to address the shortage of different types of antibiotics across the region.

“As the WHO recommends the controlled use of antibiotics, UNCTAD has taken the initiative to review infrastructure and policy frameworks to combat the causes of AMR and address the public health needs of the region, “he said.

The meeting also considered the recommendations of the study report on the supply and production of antibiotics within the context of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and proposed priority actions for the EAC-UNCTAD project on antibiotics.

In 2020, UNCTAD and WHO teamed up on a three-year project to help build the needed partnerships and guide governments on the policies needed in the EAC. The project is expected to help align local production of antibiotics in the EAC with regional public health needs as well as to increase supplies of currently undersupplied antibiotics while reducing excess supplies of those causing antibiotic resistance in patients.

UNCTAD is set to lend its expertise in the areas of investment, trade facilitation, intellectual property, business development, and industrialisation, while the WHO will help governments and businesses understand the regulatory laws and standards.

The meeting brought together representatives of the National Medicines Procurement Agencies, National Medicines Regulatory Agencies; National Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association; Federation of the East African Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (FEAPM) and National Coordinators for the AMR stewardship programmes.