The professional group of Nigerian Pharmacists has promised to ensure that medicines that cannot be manufactured by local industries are readily available for use by Nigerians
This has been made known by the newly elected president of the PSN, Cyril Usifoh, during a press conference on Wednesday
Mr. Usifoh, a pharmaceutical chemist, said that the Nigerian government should realize that it is important to have petrochemicals that can produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs)
“We hope that very soon we will make a promotional visit to the Dangote refineries to encourage him and others to make sure these things are in place. When we have refineries that produce APIs, it becomes very easy to satisfy the local industry when they need it
“But when we import APIs, it becomes a problem. We must have what I will call drug safety, or drug safety and that goes in line with vaccines,” Usifoh said.
Emphasizing the importance of local manufacturing, Usifoh said that if a country is not food and drug secure and is also unable to produce what it needs or a higher percentage of what it needs, that country could be in trouble.
He added: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were basic things that we didn’t have as a country. Thank God we were saved from the calamity. But we knew we needed to look inward.
“We don’t throw away what we have. I have been talking about the development of local herbal remedies for COVID-19. Now, we will make sure that the local manufacturing industries are supported not only in promotion, but we want to know what their needs are and then we can go ahead with that.”
Speaking about his plans for Nigerians, the president said that his executive will ensure a better relationship with the government to achieve the right of all Nigerians to pharmaceutical care.
Mr. Usifoh also said his executive committee will establish a National College of Postgraduate Pharmacists to complement his consulting cadre agenda while working with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, NCP, and other relevant stakeholders…
