Presidential Advisor on health, Roma Chilengi has praised the pharmaceutical market size of Egypt, saying it has the potential to supply Zambia with drugs needed in all health facilities.
And an Egyptian Pharco Pharmaceutical Company has donated 1000 doses of medicine to Zambia that will go towards the treatment of Hepatitis C and a further 1000 doses of Zink and Iron to treat Anemia in pediatric patients.
Professor Chilengi says this is the reason the Zambian delegation is in Egypt with the possibility of sealing a deal to purchase the much-needed essential drugs in hospitals.
Professor Chilengi has told ZANIS in an interview in Cairo today, that there are over 120 pharmaceutical companies in Egypt of which some are multinational companies with local production facilities hence the need to collaborate with them.
“You know Egypt is a big player in the pharmaceutical industry, and we can tap into that for our medical needs and pharmaceutical technology which they have developed over time, “Professor Chilengi stated.
He added that his team is impressed with the standards and competencies which have been exhibited by Egyptian Pharmaceutical companies so far.
And Ministry of Health, Director, Clinical Care and Diagnostic, Alex Makupe, has thanked Pharco Pharmaceutical Company, for donating 1000 doses of medicine to Zambia that will go towards the treatment of Hepatitis C.
Dr Makupe further disclosed that Pharco has further donated 1000 doses of Zink and Iron used in the treatment of cases of Anemia in pediatric patients.
“As you may be aware Zambia has a huge number of people being treated with Hepatitis B even health officials also contract this pandemic a lot and this donation will go a long way in the treatment of our patients,” he said.
A multidisciplinary team is in Cairo, Egypt, to conduct due diligence of the bulky purchase of medicines.
The team comprises Zambia Medicines and Medical Supplies Agency (ZAMMSA), Zambia Medicines Regulatory Authority, ZAMSA, ZPPA, Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Ministry of health officials.
Last week Health Minister Sylvia Masebo said the government will improve processes in 2023 to ensure speedy purchase of necessary medicines.
Yaba!
it has the potential to supply Zambia with drugs needed in all health facilities!
Imagine telling us of possibilities. We are tired of hearing such words. We want action and not giving us hypothesis
Not exactly wht our officials should be saying. They are on a visit and have not yet sat down to evaluate anything.
What are the rules regarding donations to procurement officers and ministry officials before you are awarded a tender to supply goods and services? Asking on behalf of those of us who don’t have a G12 certificate.
My question is why Egypt? Why not go to India, China, Japan, Denmark, Israel, Germany, Switzerland,..? Or even the USA. There’s no Egyptian pharmaceutical company in the top 50. These chaps just went there to make deals for cheap medicines. SMH
Egypt, like India manufacture drugs cheaply. These are drugs whose patent protection have run out and are now available to be manufactured by anyone, this is what is called a generic drug. This is what Indian drug makers are known for, they wait for patent expiration from the heavily funded Swiss and American pharmaceutical companies and manufacture the generic version which we can buy cheaply. Free education for you sir.
@Chiza Chirwa. Have you ever heard of Sun Pharmaceuticals or Aurobindo Pharma or Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories from India? Do a bit more research before you support these thieves pumping cheap poor quality drugs into Zambian bodies. Also if your drug is very successful you can always apply for an extension of your patent! I’ve seen many companies do this…anyway am sure you are old enough to know and understand the price you pay for buying cheap stuff
There are exceptions to this of course. But its factually true that Indian drugs are generic, India hardly makes novel drugs. That industry is under heavy monopoly. The whole of Africa has been shunned to the dustbin and cannot have their drugs allowed human trials. There is way too much money involved for new players to be allowed in. It remains that drug patents expire, you can apply to retain your name but won’t stop generic manufactures after expiration of the orignal patent. Alas, in this case, Egypt is making cheaper drugs, cheaper doesn’t always mean bad in this case, they are WHO approved after all.
The Egyptian army led by Dr Abdel Mesbah discovered a cure for AIDS in 2015. They are advanced
Just be reminded lest you become too excited and don’t consult logic.
The best place for Zambian Medical supplies in general is places where research in Tropical Diseases is advanced like India, Brazil and even Kenya.
Zambia too
Uyu e mungulu. You neglect your own and you go to praise another. Zambia once had a vibrant pharmaceutical industry with local household names like Interchem, Gamma Pharmaceuticals, etc that have gone down due to a lack of business. Now we’ll see the dominance of Misrian drugs over Indian. There’s nothing to celebrate here. Whoever has made this decision will answer for it one day
@Chiza we know about generics and I’m sure the whole entourage to Egypt also knows. That’s why the question remains why not make our own drugs?