NAFDAC: Why drug prices increased

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has disclosed the reasons behind the increase in prices of drugs in the country.

The NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, while speaking in Lagos on Friday, September 15, 2023, said the exit of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) pharmaceutical company was not responsible for the increase in the prices of drugs.

It would be recalled that GSK, a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, in August, announced its readiness to shut down operations in the country.

The company had operated for 51 years in Nigeria, having been incorporated in June 1971 and commenced business the following year.

Adeyeye, however, said: “The first reason for the increment in the prices of drug is that the value of naira has depreciated.

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“Before the planned exit of GSK from the country, prices of commodities general has gone up and some of the products GSK produced has decreased.

“From the regulatory perspective, we encourage local manufacturing and GSK have collaborated with local manufacturers. So it is not like they import everything.

“The issue of foreign exchange is huge for some of the multinational companies.

“They generate funds and it becomes difficult to repatriate the money back to their parent company where other developments will take place.”

The Star