The Minister of Pharmaceutical Industry, Ali Aoun announced the lifting of restrictions on 580 files related to the registration of medicines at the National Agency for Pharmaceutical Products ( NAPP), announcing the launch of work on 67 new projects for domestic production of medicines.
In an interview granted to the Algerian Television, broadcasted on Friday, Mr. Aoun announced the lifting of restrictions, during the last months, on about 580 files related to the registration of medicines at the level of the NAPP, “which will effectively contribute to the revival of the sector”.
He added that the ministry aims, through a series of measures, to reduce the import bill for medicines, particularly those intended for chronic diseases, and to ensure their availability on the local market “with good quality and at affordable prices”.
“The supply of locally produced medicines to the national market, particularly products for the treatment of diabetes and cancer, is more necessary than ever, given the availability of the means to do so,” said Mr Aoun, especially since “these two types of drugs are about 30% of the import bill of pharmaceutical products in Algeria, or about 400 million euros for insulin and nearly 600 million euros for cancer patients.
In this regard, the Minister considers that the launch of projects related to the production of insulin at the local level would reduce the import bill by half, stressing, in this regard, the need to respect deadlines and quality.
“Our objective in 2023 is to cover 50% of the insulin market with local production, especially after the launch of laboratories for the production of this type of medicine,” said the minister, explaining that the insulin production projects launched so far will reduce the import bill for insulin by about 200 million euros.
In another context, the Minister noted “the availability of an industrial fabric estimated at some 200 factories, some of which are already operating and others which are due to come on stream shortly, in addition to the launch of work on 67 new projects”.
