There is a market for competitively priced generic pharmaceuticals in Burkina Faso. France has traditionally supplied the nation with brand-name pharmaceuticals, but Burkina Faso has also started to substitute imported drugs with local and traditional medicines. Pharmacies are allowed to substitute brand-name goods with generic products, as long as the product is cheaper and of comparable quality.
Following the “Bamako Initiative” designed to make generic drugs available for the population, Burkina Faso created CAMEG (the central purchasing of medicines and essential generics) in 1992. CAMEG is the country’s major supplier of affordable generic drugs and other health commodities to publicly owned health facilities and non-profit private agencies. CAMEG was transformed into a state corporation with Director General in 2017.