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By Doris Obinna
Director-general, Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Dr. Obi Adigwe, has said that, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) pre-qualification (PQ), Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturing sector is on the path to global reckoning, with promising initiatives.
He said this at the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Quality Improvement and Capacity Building, a WHO PQ programme launch, implemented by NIPRD in partnership with Bloom Public Health.
He said: “The capacity we will build in the industry is key to achieving medicines’ security. Ultimately, this will not only improve health and socio-economic indices, it will also underpin Nigeria’s emergence as the Pharma Hub within the Afican Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”
Chief executive officer, Bloom, Professor Chimezie Anyakora, said: “In the past 10 years, I have been worried that most of the medicines donated to Nigeria and running into half a million dollars, were not produced here. We did not seem to have a timeline for addressing this problem.
“As big as Nigeria is, it is sad that we don’t have up to ten Nigerian pharma manufacturers that are WHO Pre-qualified. We need to change the narrative. We have the expertise, the commitment and the resources.
“I believe the WHO PQ project is going to be one of the most impactful interventions in the Nigerian pharmaceutical sector, as it will enable us to compete globally and also increase and strengthen the local capacity of the pharmaceutical sector.”
President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Professor Cyril Usifoh, said: “Building capacity remains expedient in the development of the local pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria. NIPRD is doing well and needs to be encouraged. We need to source APIs locally to boost pharmaceutical production.”
Director General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Christianah Adeyeye, represented by Kadija Ade-Abolade, said: “The launch of this project in Nigeria is a bold step. We need innovative measures and sustainable investments to move our pharmaceutical industry forward in Nigeria.”
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, Alhaji Mahmuda Mamman, said: “This is a golden opportunity that Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers must leverage on to increase their capacity for local manufacturing, thereby strengthening Nigeria’s health system for better epidemic preparedness and response.
National Co-ordinator, National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Dr Perpetua Uhomoibhi: “NMEP is keen to ensure more local manufacturers of anti-malarial commodities attain WHO Pre-qualification and good manufacturing practice certification and will work with Bloom and NIPRD to achieve this in line with global best practice.”
