Nigeria has potential to produce its pharmaceutical needs – Official

  Nigeria has the potential to produce pharmaceuticals that are adapted to its temperate zone, says Dr Michael Oguntoye, the Director Primar...

 Nigeria has the potential to produce pharmaceuticals that are adapted to its temperate zone, says Dr Michael Oguntoye, the Director Primary Healthcare (PHC) System of the Kwara Ministry of Health.

Oguntoye made this know in an interview with the Newsmen on Friday in Ilorin.

He also said that Nigeria can also establish pharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain in Africa.

The director said that the country can develop good storage for vaccines and drugs to maintain efficacy and potency before getting to beneficiaries.

“We can produce commodities that are stable within our temperate region,” he said.

The director said when pharmaceutical production are adapted to a temperate zone, this will ensure the stability and efficacy of medications under varying environmental conditions within that zone.

According to him, Nigeria can also put in place surveillance system to check potency of drugs to adapt to our genetic composition.

He said that local drugs and vaccines produced in Nigeria will make them cost effective and accessible for PHCs across the country.

“We can conduct clinical trials of drugs which can be conducted in the country because of our distinct characteristics,” he said.

He,however warned that there are proliferation of fake drugs brought in to the country.

The only remedy for Nigeria, he said, is to use local manufacturing companies to produce good potent drugs for the nation.

He therefore appealed to the Federal Government to provide tax wavers for such establishment to produce drugs in the country.