Ernest Chemist Limited will increase its herbal medicine production going forward.

It is also expected to shore up its locally manufactured medicines, to boost the indigenous pharmaceutical industry.

Chief Executive, Ernest Bediako Sampong said the move is also to produce high quality healthy products to deepen the growth of the industry.

Speaking at the launch of a new herbal cough product, called HoneyKof Herbal Cough Syrup, Mr. Bediako Sampong said “there’s an increase in demand for herbal products because of the efficacy of these products. It’s not only of the monetary reward but we believe that it’s the demand for the product and the efficacy of such products that is why we are venturing into that area. And hopefully I think it will be to the benefit of the patient, the customer and Ernest Chemist”.

Also present at the launch was the Deputy Chief Executive of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Yvonne Nkrumah who indicated that this is a major stride by the pharmaceutical company in the development of a “world-class” base medicinal product in Ghana.

According to her, consumers must be cautious and always look out for FDA’s registration number and logo on all local manufactured herbal products before purchase.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Dr. Kofi Bobi Barimah says the future of the business of herbal medicine is bright.

“Our mission is to ensure that herbal medicine is a natural choice for all and since the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, herbal medicine has played a critical role in recovery. So, the future is very bright.”

“Many people see herbal medicine as a natural choice so there are a lot of researches that are going on to verify and I think Ernest Chemist’s move is one of them. I believe that given our potential in herbal medicine, if we’re able to develop it, it will bring a lot of foreign exchange and it will also help so many businesses,” he added.

HoneyKof Herbal Cough Syrup is a non-drowsy herbal cough syrup made with honey and plant extracts of herbal origin such as ginger, basil, long pepper, violets and liquorice.