LOCAL DRUG MANUFACTURERS SEEK OSOTIMEHIN’S SUPPORT

In a bid to strengthen and increase the stakes of local manufacturing in Nigeria, the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) has strongly called on the Federal Government to provide an enabling environment for the manufacturing of local drugs.
The PMG-MAN made this appeal during its recent visit to the Minister of Health, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin in his office. The group, led by its Chairman, Dr. Joseph Odumodu called on the Minister to use his spirited goodwill to get the Government to facilitate the industry’s access to cheap fund, put up a criteria to select competent and qualified Pharmaceutical industries to receive additional government support towards achieving fast-track WHO-pre-qualified status within one year, creating enabling regulatory support through capacity building, facilitate linkage with international and local partners for capacity building and to ensure that a recurrent gap of 35% is met in the National Drug Policy.
Stressing further, Dr. Odumodo decried the negative impact of donors’ influence on the local manufacturing industry should all the drugs be imported. To forestall the collapse of local drug manufacturing industries, Dr Odumodo maintained that the Pharmaceutical industry be accorded a ‘Special Status’, because the availability of essential medicines is critical to the success of healthcare delivery. “We believe essential medicines have security implications for survival of our nation hence our commitment to self –sufficiency in basic medicines for Nigeria as a nation” he added.
Professor Osotimehin, while responding, thanked the group for their patriotic and spirited efforts and promised to actively support any form of local initiatives aimed at producing local drugs as Nigeria has the capacity to provide a framework for Africa, and indeed the world. “We as Government, have great responsibility and commitment to be able to fund and sustain local research efforts. We will work actively and collectively with supporting agencies like NAFDAC, NIPRD and the Health Ministry to make sure your request gets to the appropriate quarters. We have to work hard to such a level that, we would be able to connect with the international market”. Osotimehin said.
In demonstrating the penchant for the domestication of indigenous initiatives, Osotimehin said, two indigenous companies have been awarded the production of mosquito treated bed-nets, challenging the group to also come up with local chemicals that would be used to treat the bed-nets as it would not be economical to have the bed –nets produced in Nigeria and the chemicals imported. “We should take advantage of the resources at our disposal to have a benchmark for quality as there is no substitute for the best.” The minister further called for the immediate formation of a forum that would fast track the realization of the initiative.
In the same vein, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to ensuring that the Local Pharmaceutical manufacturing company takes full charge of drugs manufacturing that is within their capacity. Stating that, the Ministries of Commerce, Finance and the Bank of Industry would be actively involved in the bid to support the robust idea of the PMG-MAN as such effort would create employment opportunities to Nigerians and strengthen National Security. “If Donors cannot patronize our local manufacturing drug companies, then they would have to keep their funding as we would fall back to our merger resources” he said.
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), which is an umbrella organization of bona-fide Pharmaceutical manufacturers in the country, has a strong membership of over a hundred group of locally based manufacturers.
With a current employment rate of over 3000 Nigerians some of whom are skilled and are experts in Pharmaceutical manufacturing, formulation technology, sales and marketing. The group has a revenue base of N40 billion and the supply of over 35 percent of Nigeria’s drug needs, with tested excess capacities for several therapeutic areas like analgesics, anti-malarias, cough and cold preparations.