The government has launched new measures to reduce the cost of essential medicines for Kenyans, particularly patients living with chronic and non-communicable diseases such as cancer.
Speaking on the second and final day of the Kenya Health Summit in Nairobi, President William Ruto said the government will engage more international pharmaceutical companies to negotiate lower prices for medicines used by a large number of patients.
President Ruto said he is expected to meet the leadership of US-based pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Plc to discuss the possibility of reducing the prices of some medicines supplied in Kenya.
“A substantial amount of the medicine we use in the country comes from Pfizer,” President Ruto said, stressing the importance of the government using its collective bargaining power to secure better prices.
The President cited the partnership between the Ministry of Health and Roche East Africa, which saw the price of Herceptin (trastuzumab), a key medicine used in the treatment of breast and gastric cancer, reduced from Sh120,000 to Sh40,000 per treatment session.
“We have a pool of patients, and therefore we need to benefit from economies of scale,” he said.
The government has also pledged to continue supporting local pharmaceutical manufacturers, who currently supply approximately 30 per cent of the Kenyan market.
President Ruto said the government will explore ways of reducing the cost of packaging materials used by pharmaceutical manufacturers, a move aimed at lowering medicine prices while supporting local industries.
The measures are intended to ensure that the cost of treatment does not prevent Kenyans from accessing essential medicines, while at the same time promoting local pharmaceutical production and strengthening the country’s healthcare system.
