NAIP urges FG to build pharmaceutical production plants  

NAIP urges FG to build pharmaceutical production plants  

  • Commences Annual Conference tomorrow

L-R: Mrs. Christy Irogbu, administrative secretary, NAIP, Pharm. Richard Ladapo, finacial secretary, NAIP, Pharm. Ignatius Anukwu, national chairman, NAIP, and Pharm. Sola Adeniola, Internal Auditor, NAIP, during the press briefing in Lagos last week

Towards its effort to ensure a strategic re-positioning of the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry to attract more innovations and churns out competitive products for the international market as a way of contributing to gross domestic product, GDP, in the country, the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria, NAIP, a technical arm of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has called on the federal government to build Pharmaceutical Production Plants in the country.

Making the request last week during a meeting organized by the association to brief the media on their annual national conference which holds from tomorrow at Golden Tulip Hotels Agulu, Anambra State, the National Chairman of the association, Pharm. Ignatius Anukwu, said this is the only way they can increase their contribution to the GDP of the country and provide more medicines for local consumption as well as add more value to their clientele.

Anukwu said: “Specifically, we propose that our Government at Federal and State levels consider the setting up of Pharmaceutical Production Parks where power and water treatment plants will be provided and shared by a number of Pharma production companies. It will therefore be a Public Private Partnership that will aim at driving down the cost of production of medicines to make our products relatively competitive in the international Market. When this is achieved, we would have what it takes to penetrate other African and Western Markets where we are currently not playing.

“Next to the setting up of the Pharmaceutical Production Plants would be the provision of arable land for the cultivation of Medicinal Plants. Presently, many extracts of our indigenous plants are being used for the production of Nutraceuticals all over the world. We have loads of studies conducted by our colleagues in the Academia which could lead to the commercialization of some indigenous medicines and bring about the innovation we hope to achieve through Pharmaceutical Manufacturing firms.

“Indeed, the collaboration of our association and the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists in the Academia, NAPA has resulted in the development of an Herbal Cough Tincture, formulated with Natural Active Ingredients, called NANIP. We have two more of such products under development,” he said.

He noted that this is the part they want to toe in order that they can improve the ranking of Nigeria on the International Pharmaceutical Map.

Speaking on the annual conference that begins tomorrow with a theme: “Disruptive Innovations: Unleashing Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry,” Anukwu said the keynote address which will be delivered by the Chief of Party, PQM, United States Pharmacopeia, USP, Dr. Chimezie Anyakorah is expected to explore and recommend bold initiatives that would bring about the desired boom of the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry. While the day two promises to be conference strategy session during which the topic, ‘Making Nigeria Africa’s Pharmaceutical Hub through Private Sector Initiative’ will be delivered by Professor Martin Emeje of NIPRD.

He also explained that the conference will have top Government functionaries, Policy makers, Captains of the Pharma Industry, Agencies of Government involved in Research and Development of Indigenous medicines and major stakeholders of the Pharmaceutical Industry in attendance.

Also, other activities expected in the conference include health walk against drug abuse and counterfeiting of medicines.

While the conference will end with a closing banquet during which the ICON of Pharmacy Award, Distinguished Service Award and Eminent Service Awards will be given to deserving personalities together with timeout to visit tourist sites in the State.

However, the association also appealed to Government to pay their members for the Codeine-containing Cough Syrups which were recalled from them as a result of the directives of government agencies last year.

Anukwu said: “They should allow them to use-up the remaining raw materials they have for the production of these products, before they expire. It will be counter-productive to have them incur huge financial loses for a social problem whereas they have and are willing to comply with Good Manufacturing Practice and Good Distribution Practice, he said.

He added “We want to observe that after failing to meet the deadline of the closing-up of Open Drug Markets in the country and the implementation of the New Drug Distribution Guideline, NDDG, by January 1, 2019, there has been a huge silence from the Government.

“We expect that since this deadline was missed for some reasons, the Government should communicate clearly the next line of action. It has indeed become worrisome that after many years and many assurances, the implementation of the NDDG has continued to be elusive. We need to move to the Next Level on this,” Anukwu appealed.

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