ECONOMY

Algeria looks to produce locally 70% of drug needs

ALGIERS- Minister for pharmaceutical industry Lotfi Benbahmed on Sunday in Algiers underlined the need for promoting local production of drugs in order to cover the country's needs within two years and thus reduce import bill.

"We are ambitioning to develop the domestic production by supporting local industrialists and removing the various constraints that block projects. We eye to reach the objective of covering 70% of our needs in drugs, within two years," the minister told Le Soir d'Algérie paper.

According to the minister, local industrialists face many constraints, notably bureaucratic ones leading to delay in registration.
Recalling that production units were "blocked due to administrative decisions," he underlined the ministry's efforts to ease certain administrative obstacles.

The creation of the pharmaceutical industry ministry will allow to better address the various issues facing the emergence and the development of domestic production of drugs, he said.