Pharmaceutical manufacturer and distribution company, Unichem Ghana Group, has set up a pharmaceutical plant to produce high quality affordable medicines for the Ghanaian market and the West African sub region.
The new facility which is located in Spintex, one of the manufacturing enclaves in Accra, has been several years in the making and will help ramp up local production for UNICHEM to serve the nation.
The company, has, therefore, been given the green light by its affiliate, LUEX United Kingdom to produce the range of LUEX pharmaceutical products on its behalf.
In an exclusive interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday, the Public Relations manager of Unichem Ghana Group, Nana Yaw, said the new facility located on the Spintex Road has three separate divisions that would produce Liquids, Ointments and Tablets and Capsules.
He was speaking with Ghanaian Times about the excitement of his company to join the local pharmaceutical manufacturing to supply high quality drugs to the Ghanaian market.
The factory, he said, was the first of its kind in West Africa and would also help to improve Unichem Ghana Group supply chain, thereby accelerate the supply of reputed LUEX products and new breakthrough medicines to patients across Africa.
He told the Ghanaian Times that the “Our mission is to provide the highest quality medicines throughout Ghana and beyond, ensuring affordability, quality, integrity and efficacy.”
The continent’s focus on supporting the growth of the local pharmaceutical sectors amid the pandemic has seen Unichem Ghana Group unveil this news at the ideal time.
LUEX UK, Nana Yaw explained, had over 100 key products across all major therapeutic categories directly and indirectly present in over 20 countries and 15 manufacturing partnerships with World Health Organisation (WHO’s) high standards of quality compliance.
According to him, Unichem Group, has been delivering healthcare in Africa for over 60 years and was primarily established as a chosen marketing and distribution entity for the Global like Pfizer , Boots, Sanofi but to name a few.
Having started local manufacturing in 2008 under license of LUEX UK, it now seeks to grow the portfolio percentage of drugs manufactured locally appreciably, adding, “this would be transformative and in line with the Ghanaian government initiative to boost local manufacturing which seeks to promote local drug manufacturing.”
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Unichem Ghana Group, Mr Raj Mohan stated “We are in the delivery of trusted and valued healthcare. We want to heal lives, touch souls and provide quality products – Made in Ghana for the entire nation.”
Mr Emmanuel Effah, Senior Superintendent Pharmacist said Unichem’s ethics on quality was what has taken the group so many years to get this plant off the ground.
“It’s been a long road but with patience and faith, we’re close to localising the same quality products coming from LUEX UK right here in Ghana. We target to create new employment across all segments of Pharma manufacturing from Quality Assurance Executives all the way down to packers on the production floors”, he added.
BY NORMAN COOPER
