[e-drug] generic drug production in Afghanistan

[owner-e-drug@healthnet.org]

E-DRUG: generic drug production in Afghanistan
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[The Business Humanitarian Forum issued this press release, where the
European Generics Ass helps the Afghanis to produce generics in Kabul. WB]

A New Beginning for Afghanistan?s Pharmaceutical Industry

GENEVA ? 15 July 2003 ? Construction will begin shortly for the first GMP
quality generic medicines production plant in Kabul, Afghanistan. The plant
is the first initiative to restart local basic medicines production since
the end of the Afghan wars and it will be one of the first concrete
reconstruction projects led by the international community in partnership
with local entrepreneurs to rehabilitate Afghanistan's productive
infrastructure.

The project partners - the Business Humanitarian Forum, the European Generic
medicines Association, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and
Afghan businessman and physician, Dr. Karim Baz - signed a Memorandum of
Understanding today which details each partner?s commitment to the project
and its overall business plan.

The plant will initially produce 300 ? 400 million tablets of essential
medicines including analgesics and antibiotics. Currently, all medicine is
imported to Afghanistan. ?This greatly increases the cost of basic medicines
in Afghanistan,? stated Dr. Baz. ?In fact, less than 5% of the Afghan
population has access to good quality medicine. Drugs play an important role
in the provision of health services as they are essential for protecting,
maintaining and restoring health, which can then be easily accessed by the
Afghan people.?

The plant represents a new model for post conflict reconstruction and
economic development projects. The European Generic medicines Association?s
?Access to Medicines? program made an initial contribution of machinery,
technical and business expertise. The Business Humanitarian Forum, in
collaboration with the UNDP, followed through and sought local partners and
support for the project. The plant will be 100% Afghan owned and managed,
and will initially provide approximately 30 permanent jobs to Afghans.

John Maresca, President of the Business Humanitarian Forum commented, "This
project fills two important requirements for Afghanistan's reconstruction:
local supply of badly needed basic medicines, and a new start for
Afghanistan's private sector, which can provide jobs and economic
development.  It is an excellent example of how business can contribute to
the reconstruction of a post-conflict economy."

The medicines plant is the pilot project of a larger public-private
partnership program that will be carried out jointly by the UNDP Afghanistan
country office and the Business Humanitarian Forum. The program seeks to
rehabilitate the country?s economic infrastructure with the support of the
private sector. The medicines plant represents a first step in a series of
sustainable economic development projects that will provide a very visible
reason for hope for the future.

For information and correspondence: BHF Secretariat, c/o CASIN
7 bis, avenue de la Paix, Boite Postale 1340, 1211 Genève 1, Suisse
Tel: ++41 (0)22 730 86 80 / Fax: ++41 (0)22 730 86 90
E-mail: bhinfo@bhforum.ch / Website:  www.bhforum.ch

Access Essential Drugs Monitor #32 at http://www.who.int/medicines/mon/mon32.shtml

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