The Chamber of Pharmacy is asking Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to as a matter of urgency revise their fees downwards.
At a stakeholders meeting, the CEO of the Chamber of Pharmacy; Anthony Ameka insisted that Ghana’s FDA charges are the highest in Africa. He asked the FDA to take a cursory look at other countries in the sub region and make the necessary comparisons.
He says the registration cost of $3,600 per product for three years was extremely high and inspection fee of $20,000 makes it extremely difficult for companies to meet their regulatory obligations.
It also makes it difficult for companies to present new products for registration. He said such occurrences pave way for the proliferation of unregistered, substandard and fake drugs on the Ghanaian market through our porous borders. He explained that it could cause shortage of important drugs on the market altogether.
He adds that the charges also push the cost of medicines up.
He was however thankful for some reductions that have come about as a result of prior engagements with the FDA. He revealed that the $3,600 have been brought down to $1,200.
The CEO of the Chamber of Pharmacy also appealed to the government to hasten the passage of their Legislative Instrument (LI) to enable them work more effectively.
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