Nigeria’s drug makers upgrade factories to push for more WHO certifications

The quest to obtain the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s prequalification is pushing more local pharmaceutical companies into upgrading their machinery and factories, with a number of them investing in new facilities.

The WHO prequalification enables a pharmaceutical company to participate in drug supply bids globally.

Already Swiss Pharma, Evans Medical, Chi Pharmaceuticals and May & Baker have all obtained the WHO prequalification and many more are on line to obtain this certification.

Fidson Healthcare has a new N9 billion ultra-modern factory at Sango-Otta in Ogun State, which enables it to produce affordable drugs that compete in the industry. The drug maker’s organic expansion into new products has enabled it to deliver sustainable earnings.

Also, an Anambra State-based Juhel Nigeria has acquired two Blow Fill Seal’ (BFS) machines, which cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The facilities have helped the drug maker manufacture new Oxytocin injection for pregnant women, seen as the first of its kind in Africa.

“The innovation we are doing costs a lot of money. The BFS machines are expensive machines and only very few manufacturers have them in Nigeria,” Ifeanyi Okoye, CEO of Juhel Nigeria Limited, said, while unveiling Oxytocin injection in Lagos.

Despite crisis recently faced by Emzor Pharmaceutical, the firm has been in the forefront of expansion at its factory in Lagos. Emzor has over 150 different product lines. BusinessDay gathered that the firm was due to be visited by the WHO team as part of the prequalification process before the codeine crisis.

Drugfield Pharmaceuticals Limited has made huge investments in research and development, which enabled it to recently evolve Chlorhexidine gel, which caters for the umbilical cord.

Similarly, SKG Pharma has locally produced Amino Acid and Vitamins, seen as first in Africa. The drug maker recently introduced Lumal dispersible malaria tablets for infants.

Moreover, Daily Need Industries has produced Amoxicillin Dispersible Tablets (DT), used for the cure of Pneumonia.

Nigerian pharmaceutical industry has so far made over N300 billion worth of investments in land, plants, vehicles and other equipment, according to Okey Akpa, chairman of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN).

Independent findings show that Afrab, Tuyil Pharmaceuticals, Dana Pharmaceuticals, Unique Pharmaceuticals and Pharmatex are among the 15 companies readying their plants for WHO certifications.

Out of over 100 drugs firms, only nine are listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange- Neimeth, Neros, Emzor, May & Baker Nigeria, Fidson, Drugfield, Nigerian German Chemical Plc (NGC), Novartis and GSK.

Capacity utilisation in the industry is still less than 40 percent as critical issues such as overreliance on imported inputs, poor power supply, unbridled drug importation and inconsistent policies.

Pharma spend in Nigeria is still 15 to 20 percent of the total health expenditure compared with five percent in other countries.

Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Juhel Pharmaceuticals, Pharmatex Nigeria Limited, May & Baker and Chi Pharmaceuticals Limited, and Chi are among the companies already exporting drugs to countries in West, East and Central Africa.

“Some of our members are already exporting drugs to East, West and Central Africa. “Currently, only nine pharmaceutical companies on the continent are WHO certified, and four of them are in Nigeria,” Obi Adigwe, executive secretary of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), told BusinessDay on the phone recently.

Evans Medicals is also exporting drugs on the basis of the prequalification it obtained three years ago, from the World Health Organisation (WHO) which enables a drug firm to compete for global supply of medicines.

ODINAKA ANUDU