Zambia’s heavy reliance on imported medicines tied to high production costs locally

Zambia’s continued reliance on imported medicines is […]

Zambia’s continued reliance on imported medicines is primarily due to the high cost of pharmaceutical production, limited access to essential raw materials, and unfavourable tax policies, according to pharmaceutical professional Obbie Chomba.

In an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times (ZBT), Chomba revealed that Zambia currently has only about five fully-fledged pharmaceutical manufacturers, collectively supplying just five to ten percent of the nation’s medicine requirements.

 “Human resources are not the only challenge,” Chomba noted, pointing to the necessity for specialised equipment, raw materials, and significant investment in production facilities.

He explained that Zambia lacks many of the raw materials needed for local medicine manufacturing, and setting up facilities capable of producing a wide range of pharmaceuticals requires substantial capital outlay.

“There are so many different molecules on the market,” Chomba said, highlighting the complexity of pharmaceutical production. Taxation poses an additional obstacle.

Chomba explained that imported pharmaceutical raw materials often incur higher taxes than finished medicines brought into Zambia, discouraging local manufacturing efforts. “Raw materials that are coming in are being taxed way higher compared to the paracetamol that is being imported into this country,” he said.

As a result, it is often more economical for companies to import finished medicines rather than produce them domestically.

Chomba also expressed concern that local manufacturers are not always prioritised in government procurement processes and called for deliberate policies to strengthen domestic pharmaceutical production.

 “Local manufacturers equally are not prioritised when it comes to supplies,” he observed. He cited neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Tanzania as examples, noting that while they still import some medicines, they have developed more robust pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors.

Chomba dismissed the notion that a lack of skilled professionals is the primary barrier, pointing out that Zambia continues to train pharmacists in industrial pharmacy and pharmaceutical production. However, he cautioned that increasing local production would not automatically translate into cheaper medicines, as costs are driven by factors including the price of raw materials, equipment, and taxation.

“Paracetamol manufactured from within may be expensive because of those details,” Chomba said. He concluded that Zambia could reduce its dependence on imported medicines through strong political will, targeted investment, and supportive government policies. “If we are deliberate as a nation, we could even support the government itself to start manufacturing some of these products for daily use,” he said.

Article by Karen Ngulube