Many eyebrows were raised among pharmaceutical importers last week when the award of tenders for Pharmaceutical and Related Medical supplies to the Ministry of Health was announced. That's because the biggest importers - like Brodies and Bradley's Imports were basically boxed out - receiving only relatively small tender allotments.
But, a whole new set of companies seem to have come up on the tenders, such as Medigen International Limited - which suddenly appeared on the List of Licensed Pharmaceutical Establishments for the first time in 2021.
But, the Julius Zabaneh owned company has zoomed to the front of the line ahead of the long established importers - to the surprise of many.
And while these inter-industry moves may not be of much public interest - what is of interest is how it could impact the quality of medication available in the public healthcare system. The Ministry of Health no longer requires what is known as a Certificate Of Good Manufacturing Practices - which is the gold standard to ensure that pharmaceuticals are of the highest quality. Now, the new government only requires a certificate of Good Distribution Practices - which is much easier to get.
That means that many of the new suppliers selected for tenders this time around may be sourcing their pharmaceuticals on the cheap from India - and they will not have that gild standard GMP certification.
Also notable is that the call for tenders went out in February, for submission in March, but awards were not announced until august - which, we are told is unprecedented in terms of lateness.
