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Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigeria Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) has successfully achieved the international reaccreditation, which means that testing and other outcomes, including for COVID-19, which emanate from the NIPRD are internationally accepted.
The reaccreditation was said to have been done by the American Accreditation Board (ANAB) for the ANAB certificate ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in quality management systems, which was carried out in April and May this year.
A statement from NIPRD on Thursday indicated that it is remarkable that NIPRD achieved the reaccreditation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic via remote assessment which was undertaken by a team headed by Prof Diallo Rassoulou from Canada.
“It’s noteworthy that this is the first time that this mode of assessment was being used in this region,” the NIPRD statement said.
NIPRD Director-General Dr Obi Adigwe in the statement attributed the achievement to the significantly improved information technology capabilities and competencies in the NIPRD.
Dr Adigwe said he had engaged various partners and, consequently, almost all NIPRD staff when he was appointed, which led to staff getting new computers and regular access to quality training.
Between 2013 and 2018, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) assisted the NIPRD in the establishment of the National Quality Infrastructure Project for Nigeria towards overcoming technical barriers to global trade for Nigerian goods, including herbal and pharmaceutical products.
Consequently, the NIPRD was identified as a critical stakeholder of NQIP in the quality assessment of medicines, food and herbal products towards promoting international trade for those categories of Nigerian goods.
The NIPRD’s International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certificate, which was signed by Douglas Leonard and dated April 2020, is valid till June 2022. The NIPRD acknowledged the support of the NCC, USAID and USP towards this reaccreditation.
The Institute recommitted to sustaining and intensifying its activities towards the provision of affordable and high-quality medicines which it said was the cornerstone for improving access to healthcare, whilst stimulating National socioeconomic objectives, such as job creation and revenue generation.
