DRUG PROCUREMENT AND NATIONAL DRUG SECURITY FOR CONSUMER BENEFIT

Feb 25, 2018 Consumer Concerns, Features / Columnists

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Guyana imports most of the pharmaceuticals it uses and this costs several billion dollars.  With this volume, it is not unlikely that some sub-standard items are imported.  Such sub-standard products could impair the health of the population.
On Tuesday 13th February last week, the Ministry of Public Health, PAHO/WHO, the Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS) an agency of CARICOM and the Analyst Food and Drug Department met with a cross-section of the pharmaceutical importers for fairly wide-ranging discussions.
All the main speakers indicated that pharmaceuticals imported into the country must be effective, safe, affordable and in the case of the Ministry of Public Health, must be in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of the population.
Some of the pitfalls pointed out are that proper labeling must be ensured with correct dosages, expiry dates being clearly printed, formulas stated and above all, the labels and instructions must be in English.
To ensure that drugs imported must be of requisite quality and that the companies which produce such drugs are reputable, a number of controls have been put in place.  In the first place, importers will have to register with the Food and Drugs Analyst Department.  This will make it possible to ascertain the authenticity of the companies which produce the drugs imported and allow for general surveillance of imports.
For example, unsafe mosquito coils and insecticides have had to be removed from the market in the past by actions of the Food and Drugs Department.  But one of the most important agencies of the Regulatory regime is the Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS) which provides testing services for Guyana and other Caribbean territories.
Such tests will ensure that the drugs which are made available are safe.  One great pitfall in testing and in looking at the country of origin of drugs is that, in the Caribbean there is a built-in prejudice that dates from colonial times that only drugs produced or emanating from Western countries are safe.  In Guyana, we have had some unfortunate experiences with drugs sourced from Western countries.
An example of this was a company from Hamburg, Germany named Helms which at one time supplied a large number of OTC drugs.  Consumers began to complain of the adverse effects of Helms products.  When the Bureau of Standards and the Food and Drugs Department did their inquiries, they discovered that Helms was a company which produced nothing but merely farmed out the drugs it required to a number of small “bottom-house” entities in Third World countries then labeling them as if they were produced in Germany.
None of the entities which produced Helms products were recognized drug producers.
Another such experience was antibiotics imported from an Italian company which were found to be of lower strength than stated on the label which could be a danger to health.  For instance, if one went through an operation and the doctor prescribed a certain strength of antibiotic and the patient was given a lower strength, it could result in the operation wound becoming septic.
All the major pharmaceutical companies have establishments in India and produce both for the home and export market.  There are also a number of large and reputable Indian companies, some of which specialize in generics.  But as in all large countries such as the United States and China, not all companies are reputable.
Fortunately, the Guyanese suppliers who import drugs from India do so from only reputable companies.  Accordingly, almost all the Indian pharmaceuticals sold in the Guyana market are of good quality.  The one great advantage of the Indian-imported drugs is that they are affordable.  Indeed, the products of the major Western Drug companies such as Glaxo and Pfizer produced in India are less expensive than the same products coming from Western countries.  Indian generics have won a respectable reputation worldwide.
The new Regulations now in place are commendable, and if worked as intended, should achieve the goal of imported drugs being of good quality, safe, effective and affordable.
The tender process for the purchase of drugs for the health facilities and hospitals of the Ministry  of  Public Health should always be in the interest of the consumer and never in the interest of the suppliers. We have had suppliers who were engaged by the Authorities in recent years whose prices were higher than other suppliers or who were unable to supply in a timely manner.
When drugs are being purchased by the Governmental Authorities “consumer interest” and not “supplier interest” must be the watchword.
The Government and other public and private authorities should not only address the purchase of drugs but should also address the issue of Drug Security.  The two main pharmaceutical producer companies are Twins Manufacturing and Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (GPC).  GPC succeeded the International Bookers Pharmaceutical which was the major Caribbean drug producer and inherited Bookers’ products and their formulations.
GPC has given Guyana a measure of Drug Security and it has the infrastructure to give the country almost full drug security where we would not have to depend so heavily on imports.  GPC should be encouraged to expand and enter the export market in a bigger way.  For example, they should be encouraged to produce, or initially, to re-package antibiotics.
The Ministry of Public Health and Go-Invest should take the initiative on the issue of Drug Security.

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