Considering the economic realities in Nigeria, over-the-counter medications may soon be out of reach of people who cannot afford hospital facilities in Nigeria, a new report has said.
The report by SB Morgen Intelligence, which is titled: “Paying the Price on Health,” analysed the impacts of the Nigerian economy and foreign exchange crisis on the prices of essential medicines in the country.
Between 2019 and 2023, the group said it gathered data on the prices of medicines across four broad categories of Antimalarial, Antibiotics, Painkillers and Common Cold medicines.
The report indicates that antibiotics recorded the highest price increases, with 500mg Ampiclox capsules recording the highest jump. The cost price is said to increase by 1,390 per cent and the selling price increasing by 1,100 per cent between 2019 and 2023.
Antimalarial drugs saw the slowest price increase in the period under review, while only one (Novalgin) in the painkiller category has…