The pharmaceutical sector in Zimbabwe, just like most of its neighbours, relies heavily on imported raw materials and finished drug products. Also, few local pharmaceutical companies in Zimbabwe manufacture drugs. This means they do not meet most of the drug needs of the population. Almost 90% of the drugs used in Zimbabwe are imported.
The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) is the regulatory authority in Zimbabwe. They register and license products and premises. They also determine the fees paid by pharmaceutical companies in Zimbabwe for their products. The Zimbabwean Government started the 2021-2025 Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Strategy in June 2021 to improve local manufacturing and make drugs readily available for Zimbabweans.
The major pharmaceutical companies in Zimbabwe, such as Pharmanova, Varichem, Zim Laboratories, B. Braun, Datlabs, Caps (Pvt) Ltd, control the pharma market. Varichem Pharmaceuticals was the first pharma in Africa to produce an ARV drug in 2006, though the drug did not make the mar because of changes in formulation.
The majorly manufactured drugs are generic medicines using imported Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API). The drug forms are oral solid and liquid dosage forms. Only a few African countries such as Egypt, Morocco has developed a pharma industry capable of producing active ingredients for the drug manufacturing.
