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THE growing incidence of lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disease (CVD)‚ cancer‚ diabetes and respiratory disease‚ in addition to infectious and parasitic illness‚ will present the pharmaceutical industry in Africa with a business opportunity of $40.8bn in 2019‚ according to research by Frost & Sullivan.

And the pharmaceuticals market in Africa is expected to represent a business opportunity of $45bn by 2020‚ it added.

“An increase in health spending will encourage local manufacture of drugs‚“ said Transformational Health research analyst, Saravanan Thangaraj.

“We expect this increase in local formulation and filling to be protected by regulatory and tariff barriers‚ so international players will be looking for local contract manufacturers and other strategic partnerships.”

A report‚ titled African Pharmaceuticals Market‚ Forecast to 2020‚ part of Frost & Sullivan’s Life Sciences Growth Partnership Service programme‚ aims to provide insights for big pharmaceutical companies and generic manufacturers looking to set up manufacturing units in Africa, over-the-counter (OTC) and chronic disease therapeutics manufacturers and distributors.

Therapeutic areas covered include haematology‚ oncology‚ men’s health‚ central nervous system, (CNS) women’s health‚ diabetes‚ cardiology‚ dermatology‚ gastroenterology‚ cough and colds‚ nutritionals‚ analgesics and anti-infection.

Heavy dependence on price‚ coupled with complexities associated with public-sector tendering‚ make it difficult for multinationals to compete in this space. The private market‚ on the other hand‚ faces challenges with regard to fragmented payer channels between donors‚ private insurance payers and employers‚ even as high out-of-pocket expenses restrict patient access to medicines‚ the research showed.

Nonetheless‚ Frost & Sullivan said: “Several trends are encouraging investment.”

These include the regulatory environment for manufacturing in East Africa is improving rapidly with increasing regional harmonisation, out-of-pocket spend on healthcare is increasing and the share of OTC drugs is high‚ indicative of a culture of self-medication in Nigeria and Kenya.

There are believes that the contribution of non-communicable disease to the healthcare burden in Africa will rise 21 percent through 2030.

“Addressing loopholes in the supply chain and distribution channels is crucial for foreign companies to ensure product availability and prevent circulation of counterfeit drugs‚“ said Thangaraj.

“Investing in technical training of distributors and pharmacists‚ and product-specific initiatives like barcodes and holograms to track counterfeits‚ can also help minimise drug trafficking and enhance the brand’s image.”

– BDlive.