Swiss Pharma Nigeria has become the first pharmaceutical manufacturer in West Africa to receive the World Health Organisation’s certification.

The WHO representative, Ms Seun Omobo, announced this during a facility tour of the company by the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control and the WHO on Tuesday in Lagos.

According to Omobo, Nigeria is taking the lead in companies going for WHO certification in Africa.The firm’s certification, she said, followed huge investment and resources.

Omobo said, “We appreciate the commitment of NAFDAC, PMG-MAN and Swipha Pharma.

“This is the first company to get WHO’s certification in Nigeria and the whole of West Africa. Other companies should see it as an inspiration to improve on their quality,”

 

The WHO cGMP is  given to only pharmaceutical companies considered to be operating at an acceptable level of compliance with WHO Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines globally.

 

Before now, no pharmaceutical company in Nigeria had met the criteria needed for the certification.  The NAFDAC Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, stated that to reverse this trend, the agency in collaboration with 11 pharmaceutical companies piloted the Organisation of GMP inspections out of which five were shortlisted by the WHO for the pre-qualification.

 

Orhii said, “We undertook the venture to get the pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria prequalified because as a regulatory agency, it is one of the ways we can earn respect and credit to sufficiently inspire confidence and supervise the companies.”

 

He added that the certification would boost consumer’s confidence in the efficacy of drugs manufactured in the country as well as increase patronage from the international community.

 

He stated, “While it used to be thought that Nigerian products are of lower category in the market, thisendorsement by the WHO  has revealed rather the contrary, which is that industries in Nigeria can compete with the best in the world.

 

“With this WHO pre-qualification, pharmaceutical companies will be able to access the N200bn intervention fund, which will boost their production capacity and enable them to become global players in the industry.”

 

BUKOLA ADEBAYO

Punch