Prices of locally made medicines double in Sudan

Prices of medicines in the Sudanese pharmacies doubled after the National Council for Medicines and Toxins issued new pricing lists for locally manufactured medicines. The Minister of Health and the Central Pharmacists Committee reject the increases.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Central Pharmacists Committee described the new pricing as “sudden and illogical.

“The people should have access to safe and effective medicines at an affordable price,” the committee stated.

It called for a comprehensive review of pricing regulations in general. In addition, the Sudanese Ministry of Health and the National Council for Medicines and Toxins should control the prices together.

Minister of Health Akram El Tom called the price increases of local medicines “unjustified”.

He said that the decision was taken without consideration of the various means to reduce the production costs. “Medicines should remain within the reach of the Sudanese citizen who is trapped by the economic crisis, epidemics, and diseases,” he stressed.

The minister directed the Sudanese Pharmacists Association to urgently discuss the matter in a meeting with all their partners, to reach consensus on the availability of medicines in the country, and the improvement of the conditions for the local production of medicines.

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