European Business Magazine talks to
Lamia Tazi
Secretary General of the Moroccan Federation of Pharma Industry and Innovation, about the Moroccan pharmaceutical industry, the impact of COVID-19, the new federation FMIP and accessibility to medicines.
The Moroccan pharmaceu cal industry went from 80% of the local market in the late 90s to less than 60% now. What, in your opinion, are the main factors that hinder the sustainable growth of this sector and what ac ons are needed to help boost and develop it? During the period to which you refer, there has been a regression in the share of manufactured drugs compared to those imported. In 2013, this phenomenon was par cularly exacerbated a er the price decree came into force. The la er clearly favours the imported drug by gran ng it an addi onal margin of 10%. The domesc pharmaceu cal industry has posed this problem to the government. When addressing the development of the Moroccan pharmaceu cal sector, several parameters must be evaluated. The Moroccan pharmaceu cal industry has experienced con nuous growth for more than three decades, some mes in double digits. In 2019, the turnover amounted to 1.5 billion Euros, represen ng 5% of the na onal
industrial GDP. The sector provides some 50,000 jobs in 49 pharmaceucal companies. Despite the current crisis of COVID-19, these jobs have been preserved, as well as the second position of our pharmaceutical industry in Africa, behind that of South Africa. In terms of investments, the Moroccan pharmaceu cal sector mobilizes significant budgets annually, both for the opening of new produc on units and for the maintenance and renova on of exis ng ones. These investments have enabled our industry to posi on itself in the therapeu c areas of the future such as biotherapies, which is sought-a er by pharmaceu cal players. Today, more than ever, local producon must be supported in order to ensure health autonomy. This must be done through a shortening of the product registration deadline, the establishment of a fast track for the essen al and/or innova ve products, the national preference for manufactured products, the extension of social security coverage and finally support for exports.
Morocco stands to benefit as European firms, hurt by COVID-19, look to shorten their supply chains, reduce their overreliance on China and bring manufacturing closer to home. The country could become the best pla orm south of the Mediterranean to build a prosperity hub based on co-investment between the north and the south. Can you elaborate on the opportunies that exist here? Can you tell European Business Magazine readers about Morocco's strengths in the global value chain? Where do the weaknesses exist, and how can they be handled? Morocco is well positioned to be the ideal partner of the old continent especially in industrial sectors with high added value such as the pharmaceu cal industry. Thanks to its poli cal stability, its geographical proximity to Europe and above all to the quality of its medicine produc on recognized European quality. europeanbusinessmagazine.com 49
