Burkina Faso inaugurates its first generic drug manufacturing plant

Burkina Faso’s leading pharmaceutical manufacturing company Propharm has launched the country’s first generic drugs production plant.
The Propharm generic drug plant was officially inaugurated on Monday (22 August) by the country’s Prime Minister Albert Ouédraogo. Built by actors of the Burkinabe private sector and named Propharm, this factory, erected on 1.5 hectares in the commune of Komsilga, on the outskirts of the capital Ouagadougou, will ensure a “permanent availability of the most requested medicines”, according to its promoters. Certified by an independent Spanish organization, it will start producing paracetamol 500 mg, phloroglucinol, an antispasmodic, as well as a “kit of oral rehydration salts and zinc, for the treatment of diarrhea”, explained Propharm’s GM, Armel Coéfé.
“Our production capacity, at present, meets the local need and solves the problem of drastic rupture,” the company’s GM added, noting that the list of molecules to be produced will grow, especially “with the production of drugs for the management of malaria. According to the prime minister, “this is an important plant, insofar as it will contribute to making available to our population’s medicines at a lower cost. He also noted that “during the COVID-19 period, these issues were important and everyone recognized the need to develop local production of medicines. It is also a local company, which contributes to developing a resilient economy.”