Pharmaceutical manufacturers have canvassed for creating of a special-purpose fund and easier access to foreign exchange (forex) as part of a special basket of incentives from the Federal Government to support the development of the domestic drug manufacturing companies.
The demand came as the Federal Government reiterated its commitment to the development of the local manufacturing capacity during a tour of the pharmaceutical manufacturing complex of May & Baker Nigeria Plc in Ota, Ogun State by the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie, Ehanire.
Managing Director, May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Mr. Nnamdi Okafor, who spoke in the company of chairman, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, (PMG-MAN), Mr. Okey Akpa, called on the government to take steps to stimulate the local pharmaceutical industry by providing incentives and special windows to mitigate challenges being faced by the industry.
According to him, the incentives should include special funds for the pharmaceutical industry, easier access to foreign exchange for raw materials, and patronage of locally manufactured products among others. He lamented that Nigerian pharmaceutical industries are suffering from poor patronage both by government and individuals who find imported and sometimes inferior products cheaper to buy noting that the pathetic situation has led to over 60 per cent idle capacity among local pharmaceutical plants.
Ehanire reiterated the determination of the Federal Government to stimulate growth in local pharmaceutical manufacturing in Nigeria. He said the issue of boosting local production was at the forefront of the agenda of the government as President Muhammad Buhari has made it clear that he intends to grow the economy by improving local manufacturing.
According to him, the government will assist companies like May & Baker Nigeria that are pioneering efforts in local manufacturing in Nigeria by encouraging purchase of their products by both public and private individuals as well as creating enabling environment for their operations.
He said not only is government interested in, supporting local pharmaceutical manufacturers, it also intends to assist them develop vaccine technology and capacity for the manufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Nigeria.
Ehanire added that both the Indian and Cuban governments have shown interest to collaborate with Nigeria in these areas of capacity development and APIs noting that while the Cubans are offering a helping hand with local vaccine production, he said the Indian government has offered to bring bulk API manufacturing into Nigeria.
Okafor pointed out that the May & Baker PharmaCentre has capacity to produce 4.5 billion tablets and 37.5 million bottles of liquid preparations annually but because of existing macroeconomic challenges, the factory is currently running at 50 per cent of capacity.
The may & Baker PharmaCentre which was commssioned b y President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 was built to World Health Organization (WHO) Standards. The facility was certified by the National Agency for Food and Drug Adminostration and contrl (NAFDAC) for the manufacture of medicines in 2012 and in 2014 it received the current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) certification of the WHO.
Okafor said May&Baker Nigeria has since 2015 submitted dossiers to trhew WHO for the prequalification of its first product.
He enthused that May & Baker Nigeria Plc was not only the first pharmaceutical company to be established in Nigeria, it was the first to delve into key areas of disease treatment such as anti-malaria and antiretroviral medical.
Source: The Nation News
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