National Drug Authority (NDA) has been named the one of the best 2022 Uganda Responsible Investment Mark of Excellence award by President Museveni at the Awards ceremony held at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on Saturday 3, December 2022.
The recognition of NDA for the Award has been due to the good performance on delivery on its core regulatory functions; among the key functions is the control and promotion of the domestic pharmaceutical industry as a means of ensuring sustainable supply of quality essential medicines to the people of Uganda.
The NDA has licensed over 45 domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers to improve local production, and also notified 250 herbal medicine products.
This growth in the domestic pharmaceutical sector, according to NDA, contributes to the sustainable and local supply of affordable and quality essential medicines, thereby ensuring the population has immediate access to these medicines at an affordable price, while at the same time reducing the heavy reliance on importation of pharmaceuticals, and the related trade deficit imbalance and outflow of foreign currency.
Over the years, NDA has unreservedly promoted and supported local production of pharmaceuticals through several initiatives including providing technical support to local manufacturers.
Others include routine GMP inspections to drive continual improvement, Zero taxes on importation of raw materials and equipment, Quick market authorization of their products, Implementation of the BUBU policy that provides for a price competitive advantage for locally manufactured products
“Our support has seen improvement and increase in the number of licensed local manufacturing facilities from 14 in 2016 to 45 in 2022 (19 human products, 4 veterinary products including acaricides and veterinary vaccines, 5 herbal / therapeutic foods and 17 surgical instruments & appliances, such as gloves, medical masks and medical oxygen) and there are also 11 upcoming local manufacturing facilities; one of which will manufacture mRNA vaccines including Covid vaccines and other complex biologics.
This growth has led to 185 registered locally manufactured conventional (human) products and 250 local traditional medicines (herbal) which will reduce heavy reliance on foreign imported products.”
“The facilities have provided jobs to both the skilled and casual labour job market, thereby contributing to the Government`s efforts of providing jobs and improving livelihoods of the unemployed youth.
The local manufacturers act as apprentice centers for the skilled professionals such as pharmacists, chemists and industrial engineers, thereby providing hands-on skills development for our scientists”.
The local pharmaceutical manufacturers will further benefit from NDA international accolades achieved and infrastructure that include; the Quality Control Laboratory which is ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited by ANAB, in the USA, pre- qualified by WHO, Geneva; and is; and is rated at Maturity Level 4 as per the WHO Global Benchmarking 4-tier classification of National Medicines Regulatory Agencies.
This means the NDA testing laboratory for medicines and other healthcare products is credible and internationally recognised in providing accurate test results.
NDA as the center of excellence for Good Manufacturing Practice Inspection in the East African Community. This is the achievement the Authority has maintained in pursuance to the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention Scheme (PIC/S). This is our vision with respect to strengthening the NDA pharmaceutical inspectorate system
