PSN to increase local pharmaceutical manufacturing by 70%
Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has unveiled plans to increase the country’s local pharmaceutical manufacturing by 70 percent.
This was made known to by Ahmed Yakasai, president, PSN, during his goodwill message at the inauguration of new fellows by Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy recently in Lagos.
“Through a well-tailored plan, which we have broken down to short, medium and long-term plan, we are looking to promote pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria and examining the possibilities of producing about 70 percent of what the industry needs, especially the active pharmaceutical ingredients, while importing the remaining 30 percent,” Yakasai said.
The PSN president said the body was committed to making Nigeria the hub of pharmaceutical production in Africa.
Also speaking during the inauguration, Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, president, Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAP), described the profession as the bedrock for effective healthcare delivery and the driving force behind the discovery of new drugs.
“The individuals we are inducting today into our ranks are those with a strong passion for scientific research. These are tested professionals who appreciate the value of research in fast-tracking the social and economic progress of societies,” Adelusi-Adeluyi said.
“Pharmacists are the most trusted in healthcare delivery. It is obvious that pharmacy is the key that unlocks all you need to know about medicine,” he said.
Isa Marte Hussaini, a world-renowned cancer researcher and professor of pharmacology at the University of Maiduguri, in his keynote presentation at the investiture, called for greater commitment on the part of the government to the funding of research in the country.
“Inadequate funding is still a big challenge for research and development in Nigeria, as well as lack of constant power supply and non-availability of reagents, which we have to buy from the US and UK. We need more research grants in our country; it is not about the personnel but the tools to work with. All over the world, there are Nigerians who have distinguished themselves in the field of medicine,” Hussaini said.