Ghana To Establish Bio-Pharmaceutical Research Center

Sherry-Ayittey,Health Minister

The Ministry of Health Ghana has finished its feasibility study in setting up Bio-equivalence and Bio-Pharmaceutical research centres in the country.

The centre which is expected to serve other countries in the sub-region will enhance quality of medicines that is being produced within the sub region.

The Public Private Partnership [PPP] project with the government of Ghana was supported by German company, North Rhine Westphalia through GIZ.

Ghana's Sector Minister for Health, Madam Sherry Ayitey who was represented by the Chief Director for the Ministry Hajia Salamata Abdul Salam at the dissemination workshop to discuss report towards establishment of Bio-equivalent and Bio-pharmaceutical research centre in Accra on Thursday said the centre would be a centre of excellence in the ECOWAS sub region.

The Minister expressed government preparedness in helping the private sector succeed in promoting development agendas.

Mrs Sherry Ayitey indicated that regulatory practice in bioequivalence of multisource generic pharmaceutical product is one of the most important criteria used to prove the possibility of interchange ability of generic products with their innovators.

''The adoption of generic medicines prescription policy by Ghana several years ago to ensure accessibility to affordable medicines came with the humorous task of ensuring their quality, safety and efficacy'', she said.

The Minister added also ''the philosophy underpins the World Health Organization's [WHO]prequalification system for medicinal products, vaccines and other supplies that are procured by international agencies for public health interventions in many developing countries including Ghana''.

The medicinal product regulation according to the Minister involves many activities which ensure the availability of quality, safe and efficacious medicines for health delivery system all over the world.