By Chisomo Phiri
The Pharmaceutical Society of Malawi(PHASOM) has called on local and international investors to consider investing in the local manufacturing of medical drugs in order to reduce the country’s reliance on imported drugs and lower associated costs.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Blantyre on Saturday,PHASOM President William Mpute emphasized the need to significantly boost manufacturing to align with the country’s 2063 development blueprint.
On his part, General Manager for Central Medical Stores Trust(CMST) for the Central Region,Enock Foster, supported Mpute’s call, highlighting that increased local drug production could lead to substantial cost savings.
“In previous years, our annual drug requirements ranged from K50 to K60 billion, but this has increased to around K80 billion this year,” said Foster.
Other experts, including Dr. Sveinbjorn Gizurarson and Moses Chisale, also stressed the importance of local production in addressing foreign exchange challenges and ensuring a timely response to pandemics.
Currently, only five local pharmaceutical manufacturers operate in the country, contributing to just 20 percent of the national drug supply.
PHASOM is a registered body of Pharmacy professionals.
The society was established with the objective of fostering high standards of pharmacy practice in all disciplines of the pharmacy profession.
