Supplying Medicines and Supplements to the Bahamas

The Bahamas is a high-income country with a large visitor population, and its medicines are mostly imported. The Ministry of Health has begun registering products on the basis of Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS) recommendations, and said it would extend this to all medical products.

For now that route is used lightly, with only two CRS-recommended products registered so far, so expect it to grow. Medicines need a Ministry of Health and Wellness import permit, and the Bahamas National Drug Agency supplies the public hospitals.

The Bahamas at a glance

How to supply medicines to the Bahamas

1. Find a Bahamian importer. A local importer applies for the import permit and handles registration as it rolls out.
2. Prepare the documents. A CTD dossier with a CoPP and the plant's GMP evidence.
3. Use the regional route. If the product is approved by a stringent regulator or WHO-prequalified, a recommendation from the Caribbean Regulatory System (CRS), run by CARPHA, can support registration across CARICOM.
4. Supply. Private pharmacies through your importer, or the Bahamas National Drug Agency for public hospitals.

For a medicine not yet registered, ask your importer what the import permit allows for your case. See named-patient and special import and government tender supply.

Supplements

Medicines need a Ministry of Health and Wellness import permit, while foods go through the Bahamas Agricultural Health and Food Safety Authority (BAHFSA). Confirm which route applies to your supplement before you ship. We help brands get supplements made under their own label by GMP-certified contract manufacturers: see nutraceutical private label.

What people in the Bahamas search for

Semrush data from October 2026 shows that people in the Bahamas search for vitamin D, vitamin C, protein and vitamin B12. Among medicines, paracetamol, metformin, diclofenac, doxycycline and cod liver oil are searched often.

Searches in the Bahamas are in English and short: “vitamin d” leads at about 390 a month, with “vitamin c” and “protein” at about 210 each (Semrush, October 2026). Beyond those, people also type “collagen” (about 170 a month), “prenatal vitamins” (140) and “vitamin b complex” (110), and for medicines “fluconazole” (60) and “epinephrine” (50).

How importers and distributors in the Bahamas search

Trade searches are few: “pharmaceutical wholesalers” and “private label products” each get about 30 a month (Semrush, October 2026).

Originator brands searched by name include Augmentin (amoxicillin and clavulanic acid), Januvia (sitagliptin), Voltaren (diclofenac), Buscopan (hyoscine butylbromide), Concor (bisoprolol) and Ventolin (salbutamol). Brand names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify the medicine.

Supplements we can help you make

Often searched medicines include paracetamol, metformin, diclofenac and doxycycline. Some examples we list:

Documents to ask your supplier for

• A Certificate of a Pharmaceutical Product (CoPP) in WHO format.
• The plant's GMP evidence, such as a WHO-GMP, EU-GMP or PIC/S certificate, plus any inspection by your regulator.
• The registration dossier (CTD or ACTD), with bioequivalence data for generics where required.
• Stability data for hot climates.
• A Certificate of Analysis for every batch.

Not sure a supplier is genuine? Read how to verify a pharmaceutical supplier. For the neighbouring markets, see our Latin America and Caribbean import guide.

Frequently asked questions