Is Morocco a good place for OTC diabetes medication and statins?

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293734-i9196-k10591502-Metformin_tablets_urgently_required-Marrakech_Marrakech_Safi.html

Morocco matters bc it’s the closest African country to the US and very easy flight from Western Europe, esp from Portugal (and Portugal matters b/c it decriminalized all drugs [this might become a little more relevant than it seems on the surface…]).

And it’s en route to becoming the most developed and stable African country. If any African country is most likely to matter in the end, it’s Morocco

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Here’s your pharmacy-counter cheat sheet in Arabic, so you don’t have to mime drug names at strangers:

  • Empagliflozinأمباغليفلوزين (also written إمباجليفلوزين). Brand: جارديانس; combo: سينجاردي. (Wikipedia)
  • Canagliflozinكاناجليفلوزين. Brand: إنفوكانا / انفوكانا. (Wikipedia)
  • Acarboseأكاربوز. Common Arabic brand elsewhere: جلوكوباي. (In Morocco you’ll often see the Laprophan generic printed in Latin letters.) (Wikipedia)
  • Metforminميتفورمين. Brand: جلوكوفاج. (الطبي)

That’s the spelling you can say or show on your phone. Moroccan packs skew French/Latin on the label, but every pharmacist will know these Arabic names just fine.

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