Bureaucratic delays hinder pharma investors in Zimbabwe

Regulatory bureaucracy in the African state of Zimbabwe is a major deterrent to pharmaceutical investors who want to start a business or bring goods to the country, industry stakeholders have said, reports the local newspaper, The Herald.

Participants at the recent Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) 2014 have mostly expressed interest in the country but said there was need to change the country's regulatory framework.

It takes two to five years to get approval from the authorities such as the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe for a drug to make its way to the country's market; while the fees charged are double those prevailing in the region, some participants noted.