GUARDIAN NG
Many Nigerians have continued to decry the increasing price of drugs and called for an intervention from the Federal Government.
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, said the continuous increase in the prices of drugs was no longer sustainable.
NAN reports that the prices of many prescribed and over-the-counter medications have witnessed a steady increase, making these drugs unaffordable and unavailable.
The price increase was heightened by the exit of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc in August 2023 and Sanofi pharmaceutical multinational in November 2023 from Nigeria.
In one of the big pharmacies visited by NAN, Augmentin 625mg and 1g are selling for N12,300 and N13,300, respectively, as against N3,000 to N5,000, while Amoxil 500mg is selling for N4,060.
Ventolin inhaler is selling at N8,870 as against N2,000, while Seretide inhaler is selling at N31,950 as against N8,000.
Stella Ekundayo, a businesswoman and mother of three, said the increasing prices of drugs had become unbearable just like the increase in food prices.
Ekundayo said malaria drugs and paracetamol had become so expensive and called on the government to intervene.
“One card of paracetamol is now selling for N300 to N400. How can we spend that much for just paracetamol which used to be N50 to N100?. Antimalarial drugs have also increased.
” I bought Coartem antimalarial drug for N6,100 as against N3,000 plus it was being sold in the past. People can no longer afford common paracetamol.
“Food items have become very expensive, and drugs too are very expensive. How are Nigerians going to survive?
“This is a serious issue and the government needs to do something fast about it because Nigerians are suffering.
Amina Abdullahi, a school teacher, said the hike in drug prices needed to be addressed by the government as it was no longer sustainable.
” I am an ulcer patient and some of the drugs I take have increased by over 100 per cent in a few months. For instance, gestid used to be N400, but it is now selling at N1,000.
“Omeprazole now sells for between N1,000 to N5,000 depending on the brand as against N500 in the past for the cheapest brand.
“My salary is barely enough to meet my needs, sometimes I have to do without these drugs because I need to buy food, pay for transport, and meet other household needs.
“I am calling on the government to look into this issue. Nigerians are dying because they cannot afford to buy medication, some have resorted to herbal concoctions which can also have side effects if not taken properly. ”
Mr Tola Bode, a businessman, said the increase in drugs, especially high blood drugs was alarming.
