Local Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Local pharmaceutical manufacturing helps countries reduce their reliance on imported medicines, create jobs, and increase control over the quality of drugs. The World Health Organization (WHO) supports local production and technology transfer to promote innovation and improve access to quality medical products.

The project highlights the challenges and opportunities for local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While 37 SSA countries are engaged in pharmaceutical production, supplying about 30% of their local markets, issues such as dependence on imported inputs, lack of skilled labor, outdated technologies, poor infrastructure, and weak legal and regulatory systems have made local production less competitive.

Success in the pharmaceutical sector globally is often driven by strong government support, including policies, investment, and regulation. Countries like the USA, Germany, and Bangladesh show how government facilitation, research and development (R&D) investments, and regulatory frameworks can drive industry growth. In SSA, African governments need to adopt similar strategies, supporting local manufacturers through practical and proactive policies rather than relying on external aid.

Key lessons include the importance of government as a facilitator and investor, leveraging national crises (like the Ebola outbreak) to build local capacities, fostering strategic partnerships for research and innovation, consolidating smaller firms into more viable players, and actively utilizing international agreements like TRIPS to enhance access to technology and infrastructure.

Examples from countries like South Africa, Uganda, and Brazil illustrate how technology transfers, strategic partnerships, and international collaborations can boost local pharmaceutical industries, improving access to essential medicines and enhancing regional competitiveness. African nations are encouraged to build stronger regulatory systems, invest in local R&D, and create more robust public-private partnerships to strengthen their pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors.