Public Health Crisis Looms As Pharmaceutical Imports Soar To N3tn In Six Years

Over the past six years, Nigeria has faced a substantial financial burden, spending a total of N3.06 trillion on pharmaceutical imports, according to a comprehensive report from the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC). This significant reliance on imported pharmaceuticals has sparked concerns within the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, warning of potential public health crises if immediate actions aren’t taken.

The report indicates a consistent surge in Nigeria’s expenditure on pharmaceutical imports. In 2016, the nation spent N126.1 billion, slightly dropping to N118.9 billion in 2017. However, the figures sharply rose in 2018, reaching N185.5 billion, and escalated further in 2019 to N520 billion. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the situation, resulting in a staggering import bill of N1 trillion in 2020, followed by expenditures of N544.4 billion in 2021 and N445.7 billion in 2022.

This surge in imports includes key pharmaceutical products like Heparin and its salts, vaccines, toxins, wadding, gauze, and various medicines for retail sale. Contrastingly, Nigeria’s pharmaceutical export revenue during the same period was a mere N3 billion, leading to a significant trade deficit of N3.03 trillion.

The report highlights a major challenge: the high dependency on foreign raw materials and products by Nigerian industries, perpetuating the influx of imported goods.

Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State branch of PSN, Abasiama Uwatt, underscores the severity of the situation. He emphasizes the looming public health crisis due to forex scarcity, which has doubled drug prices in the past year, contributing to economic inflation.

Moreover, disruptions in the medicine supply chain are now considered a national security issue, negatively impacting the local industry and the economy due to heavy reliance on imported medicines.

Uwatt expresses deep concern about the imminent threat to medicine security for millions of Nigerians. He cites GSK’s recent departure from Nigeria after 51 years as a clear example, highlighting the vulnerability of the country’s pharmaceutical industry despite its capacity to produce Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients.

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