The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye and leading pharmacists in the country have canvassed the need for Nigeria to increase local drug production to reduce reliance on drug importation.
The stakeholders said it had become crucial for industry players in the pharmaceutical sector to take up the challenge of improving local drug manufacturing and promoting industrialisation to enable Nigerians to have access to quality and affordable medicines.
They expressed concern that over 70 per cent of drugs consumed by Nigerians were still imported.
The stakeholders spoke at the presentation of a book titled, ‘The Pharmaceutical Industry & Drug Production in Nigeria’, written by Ahmed Yakasai, a former President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.
The book chronicled the challenges facing Nigeria’s local drug production and recommended practical ways to address them.
In her remarks at the book presentation held in Lagos recently, the NAFDAC DG, challenged local pharmaceutical manufacturers to produce quality, accessible and affordable medicines.
Adeyeye said, “You are not just making drugs for us. Yes, we don’t just want you to make good quality, but we also want you to be able to sell, by linking to other countries.
“We have to link to the world to increase our GDP and decrease unemployment. I challenge you to make quality products that also have a bioequivalence study.”
She praised the author’s commitment to gathering accurate data for the book while advising stakeholders and policymakers to read the book and utilise the data provided for the development of the nation’s pharmaceutical industry.
“I want to seize this opportunity to commend Alhaji Yakasai and his wife for taking the risk to write this book. Taking the time to write the book and making us all proud, he spent time gathering data and spent time publishing it,” she said.
A renowned pharmacist and former Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adeluyi-Adelus, in his speech, stated that Nigeria had over 130 drug manufacturing companies, a far cry from over 3000 drug companies and 10,000 manufacturing companies in India, adding that very few of the 130 companies in Nigeria were doing well.
Adeluyi-Adelusi, who is also a former PSN President and Chairman of Past Presidents of the society, said the book provides an incentive for Nigeria to rethink industrialisation.
He maintained that Nigeria must have a policy to promote industrialisation, especially in the drug production value chain, which must be supported by the stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industries.
The pharmacist noted, “The golden rule in business is that he who has the gold dictates the rules. Other countries are dictating to the African nations, those who have the gold. So Nigerians have to start again to re-enter the industrialisation circuit. If we don’t, the poorer we will get if we don’t go into industry.
“This book should urge us to participate but heaven helps those who help themselves.
“More than 70 percent of drugs we use are imported. Where is that going to take us? If you look at yourself now and ask, or if somebody said, ‘remove from your body all things that are imported,’ everybody would be naked. That is not funny. That is why this book is relevant and if you support it and you believe in it, then Nigeria is becoming something more interesting.”
Continuing, he said, “The industry here is doing well. We have about 130 manufacturing units all over the country, but very few of them are doing well. India has 3000 drug companies and 10,000 manufacturing companies. We can do something to not let ourselves down. Tell the government that we can do something.”
The book reviewer and President of the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, Prof Lere Baale, said the book underscored the need for the country to transition from reliance on imported pharmaceuticals to local drug manufacturing.
According to him, the author passionately highlighted the urgent need for Nigeria to enhance its capacity for domestic drug production.
Baale, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Business School Netherlands International, stated that the book, which encompasses four thematic areas—local drug manufacturing, regulatory challenges, public health impact, and global integration, provides a comprehensive historical background of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry, tracing its development from colonial times to the present.
In the book, he further stressed the need for Nigeria to enhance its drug production capabilities.
“One of the book’s core themes is the shift from dependence on imported drugs to local manufacturing. The author emphasized the need for Nigeria to build its capacity in drug production.
“Yakasai also elaborated on the efforts made by the government and private sector to encourage local production of drugs and reduce reliance on imported pharmaceuticals, which often come at a higher cost and with quality assurance issues”, he added.
In his speech, Yakasai said his interest in writing the book began following a challenge from the late chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Abba Kyari, to develop a comprehensive strategy for boosting Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry and achieving self-sufficiency in drug production.
He called on young pharmacists, industry leaders, and policymakers to join him in igniting a new era of innovation and growth in local drug manufacturing while praising the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority’s recent plans to invest in the pharmaceutical sector.
Yakasai disclosed that Yakasai the proceeds from the book launch would be used to support the rehabilitation of schools and the provision of basic infrastructure for girls in Kano State.
The book launch was also attended by a former Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, and Emir Ado Bayero of Kano, among others.
