Kampala — UGANDA is now manufacturing a diabetes drug, Formin that regulates the level of sugar in the blood. The drug also helps reduce the weight of diabetics, 80 per cent of whom are usually obese.

Formin also reduces diabetes-related mortality by 42 per cent in obese patients. The drug, previously imported, is manufactured by Kampala Pharmaceutical Industry Limited (KPI), in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb.

During the launch on Friday, Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi said government would continue supporting the local industries to manufacture drugs locally. At least 85 per cent of the drugs consumed by Ugandans are imported while the rest are manufactured locally. The drug was launched by KPI in conjunction with the Uganda Diabetes Association at Golf Course Hotel.

Diabetes is a common chronic non-communicable disease, which is characterised by thirst, weight loss and body weakness.

It is caused by a metabolic disorder with an increase in sugar and glucose and affects all age groups including children. Once untreated, the patient wastes away, goes into a coma and dies.

Diabetes, which results from insulin deficiency, is one of the least attended to diseases and one of the least funded by government.

According to Prof. Marcel Otim, a diabetologist with the Kampala Diabetes Centre, the cost of insulin alone would eat up the whole government budget for all essential drugs.

It has one of the most expensive treatments meaning the local production of the drugs could reduce the expense for diabetics.

A diabetic needs a vile of insulin which costs Shs15000 per ten days among other medicines.

In the previous one year, it is the second drug to be locally manufactured following the production of ARVs and anti-malarials by the Luzira based Quality Chemicals Industries Ltd.

The drug will be sold at a wholesale price of shs3500 per 100 tablets. The managing director of KPI, Mr Nazeem Mohammed said wholesalers will set the prices for retail.

The prime minister as well as Dr Lawrence Kaggwa, the director of planning and human resource at the health ministry urged KPI to make the prices more competitive for local production to make sense.

Although the number of diabetic Ugandans is unknown, it is estimated that between 500,000 and one million Ugandans suffer silently with diabetes.

However, many are still undiagnosed.

In Mulago Hospital alone, figures show a great leap from 254 diabetics in 1972 to 12,000 cases in the past six years, a trend that is alarming according to medical experts. Also, other diabetic clinics around Uganda register an average of 1000 patients per year, one of them being the Kampala Diabetic Clinic in Kamwokya.

The secretary of the Uganda Diabetes Association, Mr John McAdam Okech said the activities of the association such as creating awareness to the general public have not been fully supported by the government.

"The Ministry of Health has neglected its role to educate the general public on the dangers and complications of the disease. Infectious diseases like HIV/Aids, malaria and TB have received high level attention and the general public has been made aware of dangers of these diseases except diabetes," he said.

He said the World Diabetes Foundation donated $6500 for a nationwide survey on diabetes but the survey has never been carried out.

He appealed to the government to provide drugs, laboratory facilities and insulin among others to help the diabetics in Uganda.