Insulin vials, previously imported from abroad, will be henceforth fully produced in Algeria thanks to the start, as from this Sunday, of the production of this medicine by the Unit of Saidal in Constantine, director of the production plant of this public group Dr. Feryal Kherrab.
This is a real “total production and not a packaging or filling”, said the same official, emphasizing the importance of the operation in the consolidation of national health sovereignty through the reduction of the import bill of medicines.
Saidal Constantine unit will produce, as from March 19, a quantity of 1 million units of fast human insulin used in hospitals (in vials), underlined Dr Kherrab, pointing out that this figure (1 million units of sale) concerns the production set for the current year (2023).
Production volume will then be determined according to market needs, according to the same official, who affirmed that Saidal has all the necessary means to meet all the demands expressed in this field.
This product will be produced by qualified and trained Algerian personnel, said Dr Kherrab, adding that the team in charge of manufacturing insulin in vials received additional training in the Russian Federation on quality control in early February.
In this regard, she said that the production of insulin in vials in Constantine will be conducted by a production team and another team in charge of quality control, praising the efforts made by the Ministry of supervision, which has provided the officials with all the necessary facilities and means.
The same official recalled that the production of insulin in vials had been decided in 2022 and a Russian partner chosen (the supplier of active ingredient), then, she explained, the Algerian state decided to move to a complete technological transfer for an all-Algerian production.
The director of Saidal Constantine’s site 1 affirmed that the investment was carried out with “zero purchase of equipment, as the operation is carried out with already existing installations”, indicating that training was the “strong link in this production chain, which confirms that the efforts made by the State in this framework were fruitful”.
The operation represents a “return” to the initial activity of site 1 in Constantine where insulin was produced since 2006 before it was interrupted in 2013, the same official recalled, considering that this is a “return” through which Algeria will consolidate its health sovereignty.
