Algeria is to start manufacturing insulin, this month, in a move expected to significantly reduce the cost of importing the drug used to manage diabetes.
The Pharmaceutical Industry Minister, Ali Aoun, announced that the validation process has been completed and the unit is ready to start manufacturing insulin from 15 January.
Mr. Aoun said last year, insulin imports into the country was estimated at 425 million dollars. Local production is estimated to cover 50 per cent of the demand. According to the ministry of health, at least 15 percent of Algeria’s population, that is 2.8 million people are diabetic.
The number could double by 2030. Globally, the International Diabetes Federation estimates the number of people with diabetes at 537 million, and that half of them are not aware of their condition.
