The Director of Pharmaceutical Production and Head of the National Observatory for the Supply of Pharmaceutical Materials, Mr. Reda Belkacemi, confirmed that Algeria has made important strides in the pharmaceutical industry sector, stating that today it counts more than 200 institutions active in the field of producing pharmaceutical materials, medical supplies and equipment.

Mr. Reda Belkacemi said, when he appeared this Monday, as a guest on the “Morning Guest” program on Radio One, that local production of pharmaceutical materials now meets more than 70 percent of national needs, adding that “the pharmaceutical industry sector is experiencing unprecedented dynamism in recent years.”

The latter highlighted that the investment projects registered in Algeria will enable it to become a pole in the field of the pharmaceutical industry, mentioning some projects such as the trend towards producing anti-cancer drugs.

In the same context, the Director of Pharmaceutical Production revealed, “There are 6 institutions that are in production and have registered approval quotas, and other institutions that have prior approvals, which will go to the production of anti-cancer substances.”

The guest of the first national radio channel also explained that “there are institutions specialized in producing insulin pens in a complete manner, and heading to produce vaccines through partnership projects that bring together the Saidal complex with international complexes, and also heading to produce raw materials.”

Regarding the production of medical equipment and supplies in Algeria, the Director of Pharmaceutical Production confirmed that there is a trend to invest in the manufacture of medical supplies and equipment in order to ensure abundance and reduce the import bill, revealing that several requests for accreditation have been registered by institutions to produce these supplies.

Regarding the procedures provided by the Ministry to encourage the local manufacture of medicines for chronic and expensive diseases, Mr. Reda Belkasmi highlighted that the Guardian Ministry has worked to ease some administrative procedures, especially reviewing the duration of licenses granted to pharmaceutical institutions, and is also working to organize campaigns to improve quality and accompany local manufacturers to keep up with good practices, in addition to – The speaker adds: reviewing the regulatory and legislative frameworks.

Kahina Bouaouina / English Version: Med.B.