The statement from the drug manufacturers comes at a time when the country is reeling under the acute scarcity of essential goods following the unofficial economic blockade imposed by India against Nepal.A meeting of Association of Pharmaceuticals Producer of Nepal (APPON) held in the capital has decided to support the government at the time of crisis created by the Indian blockade.
"We can produce over 80 percent of the essential drugs needed in the country. Remaining medicines can be imported from third countries," Shankar Ghimire, chairman of APPON, said, adding that there was no need to panic about possible drug shortage.
Out of 45 pharmaceuticals companies operating in the country, over 60 percent are certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) Good- manufacturing Practice (GMP). Currently, Indian pharmaceutical companies supply about 60 percent of medicines needed in Nepal.
"Although medicines produced by us fulfills 40 percent of the demand, it does not mean that we are incapable of producing more," Hari Bhakta Sharma, executive director of the Deurali Janta Pharmaceutical Pvt Ltd., said, adding that Nepalese drug manufacturers were not producing some medicines because they cannot compete with cheap Indian products.
Meanwhile, the MoHP has directed the concerned authorities to prevent possible crisis of medicines and black marketing. The MoHP has also asked the Department of Drug Administration (DDA) to take measures to for importing drugs from third countries.
"We have directed the DDA to prevent black marketing and crisis of essential rugs," Shanta Bahadur Shrestha, secretary at the MoHP, said.
The MoHP has been considering alternatives to Indian manufactured injectable drugs after India imposed economic blockade on Nepal.
Related story
‘Nepali pharma companies vulnerable in lack of monitoring’
-1784277548.webp)
