The Nigeria pharmaceutical sector is undergoing a paradigm shift, with ambitions to increase domestic pharmaceuticals production to 70 percent. Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), made this announcement at the 7th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ EXPO in Lagos, organized by GPE EXPO PVT. LTD. and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN). Adeyeye stated that local medication production has crossed 30% and is very close to 40%.
According to Adeyeye, the objective is to boost domestic production to 70% while reducing imports to 10%. This change will ensure that the Pharmaceutical Industry is more robust and self-sufficient. She underlined that in order to guarantee drug security, quality, and affordability for Nigerians, it is imperative to lessen the country’s reliance on imported medications. Furthermore, Adeyeye revealed a milestone achievement by Swiss Pharma Nigeria Ltd. which saw the company’s Antimalarial Medications being included to the World Health Organization’s list of prequalified medications. Swiss Pharma is now the first indigenous producer in Nigeria and West and Central Africa to have two of its products listed by WHO.
Nigeria’s healthcare places a priority on local production.
This achievement was made possible by NAFDAC’s technical assistance, which made the WHO’s inspection and review procedures easier. Adeyeye noted that this is a critical time for our business, as more indigenous goods are anticipated to be pre-qualified, bolstering the robustness of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry, according to. Nigeria’s Healthcare Industry places a high priority on domestic pharmaceutical production as a means of lowering reliance on imports and enhancing Public Health outcomes. However, the industry faces numerous obstacles, such as inadequate infrastructure, unfavorable regulations, limited access to raw materials, and limited financial resources.
Despite the fact that Nigeria is home to over 120 companies, most of which are based in the states of Lagos, Ogun, and Anambra, over 70 percent of the nation’s medications are imported, mostly from China and India. The industry’s problems are made more dire in large part by the low level of significant investments in research and development which impede Innovation and the development of new products. Additionally, manufacturers have been observed bemoaning over the exorbitant cost of the raw materials—of which a majority are imported—used in the production of pharmaceuticals locally.
More emphasis has been placed on boosting local output.
It was estimated that the country imports pharmaceuticals worth over $700 million per year as of 2023. This amount shows how much it costs to import raw materials and finished products to meet the nation’s pharmaceutical requirements. In response to this, a greater emphasis has been placed on increasing domestic production in Nigeria. The Nigerian government has put policies into place to encourage domestic Manufacturing and lessen reliance on imports. These include offering Tax benefits, waived import duties on raw materials, and easy access to reasonably priced Finance to regional producers.
For instance, approaches for boosting regional pharmaceutical output have been identified by the National Livestock Transformation Plan (NLTP) and the National Drug Policy. However, legislative obstacles, a lack of funding for research and development, and Infrastructure deficiencies have restricted the successful implementation of these programs. Assuring the safety and quality of medications is hampered by the reliance on imports. Due to the volume of pharmaceuticals that are imported, NAFDAC finds it challenging to monitor and regulate them, which raises concerns about inferior and substandard goods entering the domestic market.
Related Article: Stakeholders seek ₦600b for pharma production
NAFDAC discovered that more than 50% of the certificates for imported pharmaceutical products into the country are fake. The pervasive issue of counterfeit certificates poses a threat to public health by permitting the sale of inferior and counterfeit medications, jeopardizing public health and undermining the overarching objective of universal health coverage. Nigeria can lessen its reliance on imports, lessen supply disruptions, and stabilize prices by boosting indigenous Medicine manufacturing. Increasing domestic output is also essential to combating supply chain problems and inflation.