The pharmaceutical sector in Burkina Faso: premises and development

The pharmaceutical sector is part of a whole: the healthcare sector. This link is at the crossroads of the economic and social, of economic and public health issues. For ten years (2007 to 2016), we carried out historical research in the form of documentary reviews and individual interviews with players in the pharmaceutical sector. We reconstructed the history of the sector, considering the period before 1994 and the period after. The year 1994 marked an important turning point in Burkina Faso's healthcare system. The year saw the adoption of the new public health code, the devaluation of the CFA franc, which led to higher prices for pharmaceutical products, and the emergence of pharmacies and pharmaceutical depots following the liberalization of the drug market. We then describe the current organization of the pharmaceutical sector and its socio-economic impact. Finally, we outline the prospects for a pharmaceutical sector in line with the population's aspirations in terms of access to quality health products.