Pharmacists Call for Local Drug Production to Curb Import Dependency

By Samuel Solomon

The Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP), Kano Zone, has called for a pharmaceutical industrial revolution in Kano State as a strategic measure to reduce Nigeria’s over-reliance on imported medical products.

Speaking at the 13th Annual Symposium and Business Summit held on Thursday at Tahir Guest Palace, Kano, the NAIP Kano Zonal Chairman, Pharm Gershon Deshe, asserted that the state is well-equipped with the human and material resources needed to produce essential medicines locally.

“Currently, Nigeria imports over 70 per cent of its medical products, leaving us brutally exposed to foreign exchange volatility. This is unsustainable,” Deshe stated.

He further revealed that the Kano State government, through the Drugs and Medical Consumables Supply Agency (DMCSA) and other agencies, purchases over N5 billion worth of medicines annually, with seven out of every ten products being imported.

“Why should a patient in Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital wait for drugs from India when the same drug can be made in Sharada?” he queried.

Deshe listed existing pharmaceutical manufacturers in Kano’s industrial zones, including Ugolab, Pal Pharmaceutical, ASAD, Charles Mekus, Dangote Pharma, Feccox, Marleyshree, and Khairat Pharmaceuticals. He noted that Charles Mekus Pharma remains the only betalactam manufacturer in the entire northern region.

The summit, themed “Ensuring Sustainable Medicine Availability in Kano Amidst Economic Stagnation Through Local Productions, Strategic Procurement, and ARC_ESM Support,” attracted key stakeholders, including the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, who served as Special Guest of Honour.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr Azuka Okeke, Director General of the African Resource Center for Excellence in Supply Chain Management (ARC_ESM).

In his remarks, the NAIP National Chairman, Pharm Aminu Bankole Ezeubilo, emphasised that the quality of locally manufactured products is not in question. “Nigerians produce quality products. When the regulatory environment makes it difficult for people to survive, you breed counterfeit products,” he said.

He disclosed that NAIP is collaborating with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria to ease the operating environment for local manufacturers to thrive.

The Chairman of the Occasion, Pharm Ahmed Ibrahim Yakassai, Kachallan Kano, and the Special Guest of Honour, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, were honoured with awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions and support to NAIP in the zone.

The event concluded with a group photograph and networking session.