Morocco covers 75% of the national demand for medicines in volume. The Moroccan pharmaceutical system has evolved, since its creation, into a well-integrated industrial ecosystem

The pharmaceutical industry represents 1.5% of the GDP and 5.2% of the national industrial GDP. This vital sector currently ranks second in Africa, with a turnover exceeding 21.63 billion dirhams, of which more than 15 billion dirhams are generated solely in the private pharmaceutical market. Morocco covers 75% of the national demand for medicines in volume and exports between 8% and 20% of its production abroad, mainly to Sub-Saharan Africa, the MENA region, and Europe.

However, the production capacities of the pharmaceutical industrial network far exceed the national demand for medicines. ‘Inaugurated by a strong political will of the late Hassan II in the early 1960s, pharmaceutical production began with simple pharmaceutical forms before gradually moving, through a series of technological transfers, towards increasingly complex forms

In the same way, medicines that were essentially produced under licenses from foreign laboratories have become independent of Western pharmaceutical oversight through the development and local production of generic drugs Made in Morocco,’ says Abdelmajid Belaïche, an expert in the pharmaceutical industry and a member of the Moroccan Society of Health Product Economics. He adds, ‘As for Morocco's pharmaceutical ambitions, they are very significant and aim to enter the exclusive club of pharmaceutical biotechnology producers and conquer the select group of producers of medicines derived from legal cannabis. In this regard, Morocco aspires to become a true regional pharmaceutical hub, particularly through the establishment of a future export logistics platform

Development of Generics

The Moroccan pharmaceutical industry constitutes an important growth pole in the national economy. In the early 1990s, the national pharmaceutical market experienced a significant development of generic medicines. And although Morocco excels in the production of generics, it still faces challenges in the production of biosimilar medicines. According to Belaïche, the development and local commercialization of these medicines will allow the emergence and growth of new industrial pharmaceutical companies. ‘Today, generic medicines represent 56.5% in volume and 48.9% in value of the national private pharmaceutical market, and more than 90% of hospital tenders. While the production and commercialization of generic medicines have been highly successful and have captured the majority of therapeutic classes, biosimilars (generic versions of biotechnological medicines)

Source of the article: Finances News Hebdo