Even as the multinational pharma companies' propaganda against the Indian generic drugs are continuing in the African countries, Nigerian government has decided to review the blacklisted Indian pharma companies and take out some from the list. There are several Indian pharma companies who were blacklisted by the drug regulator in Nigeria National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for different reasons.

According to sources in the Union Commerce Ministry, director general of NAFDAC professor Dora Nkem Akunyili has assured the Indian government that the Nigerian agency will soon review the entire list of blacklisted Indian pharma companies and re-inspect the units once again to accord them registration permitting these companies to resume export to Nigeria.

Some of the blacklisted companies include Comet Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, Intermed Pharmaceuticals, Coral Laboratories Ltd, Kamala Overseas Export Bombay, Medico Remedies Pvt Ltd, Novus Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Pharmadeal Pvt Ltd, Milan Medical Stores, Sangola Pharma, Santacruz Medical Stores, Uma Medical Agency (Pharma Distributor), Mumbai. Wellbert Pharmaceutical (Bombay) Pvt Ltd, Unison Drugs Pvt Ltd and Wellcure Drugs & Pharmaceutical Ltd.

Sources said that most of these companies were blacklisted by the NAFDAC on flimsy grounds. Though the companies took up the issue with NAFDAC several times, it did not pay heed to their pleas. “My company was blacklisted by NAFDAC on flimsy grounds. They were not ready to go into detail. Now after the intervention of Pharmexil they have decided to review it,” said Paresh Mehta of Intermed Pharmaceuticals, Mumbai.

The Pharmexcil had highlighted the issue with Nigerian delegation led by NAFDAC DG in the 'Indo Africa Pharma Business Meet' held in Hyderabad from September 25 to enthuse confidence and also to create awareness among the African countries about India as a dependable source of quality generic medicines at affordable prices.

In the Meet, there was a special session on 'Indian pharma and Indian export to Nigeria' in which Pharmexcil executive director Dr PV Appaji made a convincing presentation about the issue.