The Pharmaceutical Chamber of Ghana is concerned over the impact the Coronavirus outbreak could have on Ghana’s heavy reliance on China and India for drug ingredients.

The Coronavirus has reached a global pandemic with major economies like China and Italy on lockdown.

So far India - a global hub and supplier of essential drug ingredients to European and emerging markets recently placed a ban on the export of essential drug ingredients as the country prepares to stock up against a possible outbreak of the virus.

Speaking to JoyBusiness at a media launch and unveiling of the logo for the 2020 Ghana Pharmaceutical Expo, Chairman of the National Executive Council under the Chamber of Pharmacy Ghana, Harrison Kofi Abutiate explained the ban has dire implications.

“Even though local pharmaceutical firms have stocked up fairly enough, the Coronavirus coupled with the recent suspension of essential-drug exports from India and China has been a huge challenge for us. We are troubled, considering the fact that our local pharmaceutical firms rely heavily on raw materials from China and India.”

The world's biggest supplier of generic drugs has restricted exports of 26 ingredients and medicines made from them. The restricted drugs include Paracetamol, one of the world's most widely-used pain relievers. To this end, Harrison Kofi Abutiate has urged pharmaceutical companies to alert Government of any imminent shortage.

Meanwhile, the Chamber of Pharmacy Ghana launched and unveiled a logo for the 2020 Ghana Pharmaceutical Expo which will centre on making Ghana a pharmaceutical hub in the Sub-region.

The EXPO is under the theme, 'Making Ghana a pharmaceutical hub – opportunities and partnerships.'