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BY OUR PHARMA CORRESPONDENT
July 30, 2005: The Afghan Generic Medicines Project has reached a new milestone with the arrival of donated production machinery for the newly-constructed generic medicines factory.
The factory, named the Baz International Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, is the first medicine plant to be built in Afghanistan since the civil unrest.
Production at the plant is scheduled to begin in October 2005, and the plant will be able to produce around 300 million to 400 million tablets of medicines such as antibiotics and analgesics.
The project was launched by the Swiss non-profit organisation, Business Humanitarian Forum, along with the European Generic medicines Association and the United Nations Development Programme. Subsequently, Deutsche Post World Net, and its subsidiary, DHL, joined the project to provide logistical and training support. The project has been co-financed by DEG, one of Europe's largest development finance institutes, with funds from The German federal government's Public-Private Partnership Programme.
The plant will be fully Afghan-owned, and managed by Dr Karim Baz, a local doctor.
Around 40 local employees will be taught basic operating skills and production technology to enable them to be self-sufficient. The plant's equipment and materials, as well as pharmaceutical training, are being donated by the EGA. In September 2005, 14 Afghan technicians will be trained in EGA member companies in Europe, in order to start production in Afghanistan by the end of October.
The project's roots began in early 2002, after the BHF invited the World Health Organisation to make a presentation on the availability of Medicines in Afghanistan. The WHO noted that years of inactivity and the general deterioration of the medical supply system under the Taliban had left the system wrecked, with no stocks of medicines available.
Following this, the EGA confirmed an offer to donate surplus manufacturing equipment and to provide training for Afghan technicians. The EGA also agreed to supply The ingredients for most-needed medicines free of charge for the first production year.
The cornerstone of the factory was laid in June 2004. The factory, located near Kabul and the EGA will send staff to calibrate the equipment. Training of the factory's staff will take place in November 2005 in EGA member facilities in the UK, Ireland and Malta.
The EGA is also preparing training materials and manuals for the Afghan staff. The factory will initially produce widely-used basic medicines, such as analgesics, antibiotics and TB drugs. However, the product range will later be expanded up to a range of 16 - 20 medicines identified by the WHO as essential medicines.
Baz International will produces the following medicines, all in coated tablet form:
· 250 mg, 500 mg and 875 mg penicillin
· 250 mg tetracycline
· 250 mg oxytetracycline
· 250 mg amoxicillin
· 250 mg, 500 mg and 750 mg ciprofloxacin
· 400 mg metronidazole
· 500 mg paracetamol
· 30 mg codeine
· 200 mg morphine sulphate
· 50 mg and 100 mg atenolol
· 12.5 mg, 25 mg and 50 mg captopril
· 200 mg, 400 mg and 800 mg cimetidine
· 20 mg and 40 mg famotidine
· 1 mg, 5 mg and 20 mg prednisolone
· 300 mg ferrous gluconate
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