The president of the Syndicate of Pharmaceutical Companies, Amine Zaghdoudi announced that three companies decided, during the period from September to October 2022, to no longer continue their activities in Tunisia. He said that several other companies were studying the possibility of no longer investing in the pharmaceutical sector in Tunisia.
In a statement given on October 28, 2022, to the Tunis Afrique press agency, Amine Zaghdoudi considered that this is a disaster and denounced the current crisis in the pharmaceutical sector. The situation could worsen considerably by the year 2023, according to him. He explained that twenty international pharmaceutical companies were present in Tunisia and had as their main task the introduction of new drugs on the national market.
Amine Zaghdoudi revealed that these companies supply 50% of the drugs on the market. The three of them having decided not to continue their activities in Tunisia, are specialized in drugs for chronic diseases and different types of cancer.
The president of the Syndicate of Pharmaceutical Companies considered that the pharmaceutical sector was in danger due to the absence of new investors. He assured that the beginnings of this crisis dated back to 2016. He mentioned the delays in payment by the Central Pharmacy and the accumulation of a debt equal to 700 million dinars.
For his part, the president of the National Trade Union Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industries, Tarek Hammami indicated that pharmaceutical companies were victims of delays in registration, circulation and marketing authorization on the national market. He explained that unblocking the situation required holding an inclusive dialogue. He called for the lifting of compensation for certain drugs, the revision of their prices and the granting of production authorizations to companies established in Tunisia. He considered that the establishment of the National Medicines Agency will considerably reduce delays.
