The government wants to promote this industry by requiring hospitals, pharmacies and NGOs to buy certain products locally in order to help make the medical-pharmaceutical sector a pillar of the national economy.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) aims to replicate Gabon's generic drug production model. Gabon is willing to share its expertise and skills with the DRC in this area, creating a mutually beneficial partnership between the two Central African countries.
Currently, most production sites are located in Kinshasa. Promed is the oldest pharmaceutical laboratory in the country. It was founded in 1984 by a Belgian who had been living in the DRC since 1976. Arauphar Production, which has been based in Kinshasa since 2015, aims to maintain its leading position in the DRC's pharmaceutical industry. Its pharmaceutical plant has a monthly production capacity of 1 million 500ml bottles and 2.1 million 100ml bottles.
Among the main producers is Phatkin, one of the few Congolese companies, along with Pharmagros, operating in the sector. The company, which has a plant in Kinshasa and another in Lubumbashi, manufactures 150 products, 21 of which are still protected by patents. Zenufa and Biopharco are also part of the sector.
Pharmakina's pharmaceutical products offer strategic added value for treating malaria in member countries of SADC (Southern African Development Community), COMESA (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa), and EAC (East African Community). The DRC is estimated to hold 801,000 TPH of the world's potential for cultivating cinchona trees, whose bark is used to produce quinine, a key drug in the fight against malaria.
Saint Sauveur Pharmaceuticals is a wholesale importer, distribution center, and wholesaler with over 6,000 listed products. It serves as the essential link between manufacturing laboratories and retail pharmacies. Pharmacie.cd is the first fully online pharmaceutical sales platform in the DRC. This service was launched by the Astrid Clinic in partnership with Congo-Search, a company specializing in the development of innovative technological solutions, as well as local and international pharmaceutical depots and manufacturers.