Fake drugs are mainly imported drugs —PMG-MAN

Chairman, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), Dr Fidelis Ayebae has stated that fake drugs in the Nigerian market are between two and three per cent and mainly imported drugs.

Dr Ayebae, who spoke at a media parley in Lagos to announce the fifth Nigerian Pharma Manufacturers expo billed for August, stated that no single locally made Nigeria medicine is fake.

Ayebae, the managing Director, Fidson Healthcare PLC, said that there is no statistics anywhere to justify the news that fake drugs in the Nigerian market are up to 70 per cent.

Noting that locally made medicine in Nigeria are cheaper and efficacious, Ayebae said the only panacea to faking medicines is the development of Nigeria’s local pharmaceutical industry.

He added, “it is a patriotic thing to do to sustain employment and deepen Nigeria’s economy.”

He stated that the 2-day Pharma expo would expose the pharmaceutical local manufacturing industry to Nigerians for them to know that there is no drug that cannot be manufactured in Nigeria.

According to him, the pharma expo would exhibit new technology for medicine production for its participants from West Africa and Central Africa would also showcase the latest and technology on quality control and assurance in pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Executive secretary, PMG-MAN, Frank Muonemeh,  decried Nigeria’s dependency on imported medicines.

He noted that 70 per cent to 30 per cent medicine importation against local manufacturing was a challenge that the expo’s theme would b be talking about for possible reversal.

“With strategic collaborations with local and international partners, we can reverse the trend of 70 per cent to 30 per cent ratio of medicines imported against medicines locally manufactured,” he said.

Muonemeh declared that the expo would attract 200 international pharma machinery exhibition firms from six countries and nearly 10,000 pharma and related sectors, trade professionals across Africa and approximately 150 Nigerian exhibitors.

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While the expo will afford an opportunity to exhibit and explore the untapped business potential of central and West African Pharma markets, he said the group intends during the expo to engage the federal government on accessing N300 billion intervention funds to upgrade and update local pharmaceutical manufacturers to support medicine security and self-sufficiency.

Orimadegun Agboade, chairman and CEO of Orfema Pharmaceutical Industry, said Nigeria can produce all of its malarial drugs, urging government to check donor agencies who sell foreign drugs at lower prices.

Adekunle Abibu, managing director of Pharma Deko, said local drug makers need soft loans.

“You cannot build a factory with loans from commercial banks that charge high interests and expect your return to them as soon as possible. When you patronise us, you increase local value addition and create jobs,” he added.