Ban on importation of 49 medicines will boost local pharmaceutical industry - Tobinco CEO

The Chief Executive Officer of Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited and Entrance Pharmaceuticals and Research Centre, Mr. Samuel Amo Tobbin, has welcomed government’s decision to ban the importation of 49 medicines, saying it will boost the local pharmaceutical industry.

In an exclusive interview with Bismark Brown on Atinka TV Tuesday, he said the move will help locally produced medicines meet the required standards.

Noticeable names of medicines on the list include aluminium hydroxide or magnesium trisilicate suspension, amoxicillin capsules and suspension, aspirin or caffeine tablet, folic acid tablet, cetirizine tablet, co-trimoxazole tablet, diclofenac tablet, magnesium trisilicate suspension and tablet and oral rehydration salt (ORS).

Others are paracetamol syrup, paracetamol tablet, paracetamol or codeine tablet, simple linctus syrup, vitamin B complex tablet and multivitamin tablets (vitamins A acetate, B1, B2, B12, D3, nicotinimie, calcium pantothenate), Ibrufen tablet and cough mixture that contains carbocisteine diphengydramine, gualfenesin or ammonium chloride as a single ingredient.

Mr Amo Tobbin added that government needs to support local Pharmaceutical industry by providing soft loans and cheaper credit for the industry, saying the current 36 percent interest rate will not keep manufacturers in competitive business.

He urged government to support local manufacturing companies to produce essential pharmaceutical products in order to combat the menace of counterfeit and sub-standard pharmaceutical products.