Algeria uses medicines banned in Europe

Medicines importers bring out of date products to the Algerian national market while the role of a commission set up by the Prime Minister is still absent, according to chief of the Public Health Practitioners’ Union.

“Local medicines production stumbles for non objective reasons. Pharmaceutical research is not developed as our medicines are 80 percent linked to products forbidden in original countries,” Lyes Merabet told Echorouk.

“Those medicines are supposed to be banned in Algeria but unfortunately many of them are still imported,” he added.

He also said third and fourth generation pills and high blood pressure medicines are still used in Algeria although they are banned in Europe.

“A medicine used for neurological diseases was banned a year ago as researches showed that it has serious side effects. It was withdrawn from the European market but it is largely used in our country.”

“Where is the medicines commission set up by the Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal upon proposal from health minister? We don’t see its role.”

The World Health Organization fixed a comprehensive list of 371 main medicines and an 82-medecine-additional list. This list is sufficient to treat all the diseases and pandemics which may hit people in any country.

According to sources, Algeria’s imported medicines bill went up to $2.5 billion. Of it, $300 million for animals and 64 billion DZ for reimbursement.