Ugandan firm starts making diabetes drugs

The National Drug Authority (NDA) said it approved a drug for diabetes, which the Kampala-based Cipla Quality Chemical Industries Limited has started making in the country.

The new oral medicine, Flozicard XR, which was launched yesterday, NDA and doctors said, would be essential in improving the health condition and quality of life of people with diabetes in the country. 
Mr Amos Atumanya, the NDA senior drug inspector, said the drug has met requirements for approval.

“Our mandate as NDA is to ensure the availability of safe, efficacious and good quality medicines for the entire population of Uganda. So when we see these kinds of innovations now coming to Uganda, then we feel very happy as NDA and as a country that now we have greater control over the process of manufacture of these drugs,” Mr Atumanya said.
This local manufacture, he said, puts NDA in a much better position to assure the quality of these products but also to ensure these products can be readily available to the population because they are being manufactured locally.

“Drugs like this one are a game changer in managing diabetes. People have been using traditional drugs but now we are seeing drugs that can give better health outcomes for some patients. We encourage the industry to do more,” he added.
Ms Diana Nakato, the quality assurance manager at Cipla Quality Chemical Industries Limited, said the new drug Flozicard XR and another pain control drug Cipladon Plus, reduce pill burden.

“We are launching two products, one is Flozicard XR, it is a combination of two anti-diabetics [drugs]. This drug is unique in that it has two active ingredients so the patient has less pill burden, where they would be taking two tablets, they are now taking one tablet,” she said. 
“The second drug that we are launching is Cipladon plus which contains four contents, which together work effectively to manage pain. Where there would be four different tablets, now it is one combination,” she added.

Dr William Lumu, the president of the Uganda Diabetes Association asked the drug-maker to sell the medicines at reduced prices, which many Ugandans can afford.  Dr Lumu said the similar type of medicine, which is being imported, is being sold at around Shs10,000. Ms Nakato, without revealing the exact amount, said the medicine would be sold at a lesser price, compared to the imported version.