The Chamber of Pharmacy Ghana, has appealed to the Food and Drugs Authority(FDA) to be vigilant to ensure that fake drugs are not imported into the country following the removal of tax on imported drugs.

Government has abolished the 17.5 per cent VAT/NHIL on selected imported medicines not produced locally, as well as a tall list of other scrapped taxes.

The move has come as a relief to importers of Pharmaceuticals in the country.

However in an interview with Fiifi Banson on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Anthony Ameka said the FDA ought to be on the look out for excesses likely to emerge after the implementation of the policy.

Meanwhile, he called for urgent attention in reviewing the medicine list of NHIA and the prices to reflect the current policy.

He noted that the waiver of taxes on imported medicines and retail mark-up being reduced to 30 percent, consumers will be paying less for drugs.

“With the VAT regime a drug that was supposed to cost GHS 100 will be sold at a price of GHS 285. And with the coming into force of the tax waiver, we are looking at GHS 195.00. And based on that we are also going to look at reducing the prices of medicines by a certain margin that will conform to the International standards. We’ve started looking at the modalities already and we will cut down prices of medicines by 30%.”

Source: Kaspafmonline