DRC, the largest country in sub-Saharan Africa has released a list of 35 pharmaceutical products that can be manufactured by the local pharmaceutical industry in the country. The list includes amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, cotrimoxazole, cyproheptadine, doxycycline, erythromycin, mebendazole, metronidazole, meprobamate, multivitamin tablets, vitamin B1, B6, B12, vitamin C syrup, paracetamol, phenoxymethylpenicillin, promethazine, tetracycline, etc. The country has banned import of these drugs with immediate effect thus putting Indian pharma MSMEs which have a significant exposure to it in a fix. India and DRC signed an agreement on mutual promotion and protection of investments on April 13, 2010. A large portion of DRC’s pharmaceutical imports is sourced from India, some for re-export to neighboring countries like Republic of Congo, Gabon and the Central African Republic. On the other hand, in a bid to promote domestic production of drugs, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria has also come out with a ceiling list of 36 pharmaceutical products which can not be registered by the foreign drugmakers in the country. The list comprises ampicillin, indomethacin, tetracycline, sulphadoxine, ibuprofen, alcohol based hand sanitizer, piperaquine, paracetamol, albendazole, mebendazole, pseudoephedrine+paracetamol+caffeine FDC, piroxicam, diazepam, amlodipine, chlorpheniramine maleate, ciprofloxacin, cimetidine, vitamine C, amoxicillin, topical penicillin, erythromycin, salbutamol, metformin, griseofulvin, bisacodyl etc. In Nigeria, regulations allow local drug manufacturers to also be drug importers. Many of the leading local drug manufacturers are also representatives of global drug originators, and hence have a strong incentive to invest in local drug registration and the introduction of lucrative new products. Very few markets in Africa are as potentially lucrative as Nigeria.
MSMEs are facing a double whammy of skyrocketing prices of raw materials and losing foreign markets