By Chioma Obinna
LAGOS — The Federal Government has been called upon to strengthen petrochemical, foundries and engineering-based industries for the production of raw materials and spare parts to enable pharmaceutical manufacturing industries expand their base.

Speaking at the 2011 Inaugural Lecture Series of the University of Lagos, the guest lecturer, Prof. Cecilia Igwilo, said providing the enabling environment would ensure that pharmaceutical research was brought back to life in the country.

Igwilo who advised government and manufacturing industries to adequately support research activities financially and legally, stressed the need for constant supply of  water and electricity needed for research and manufacturing activities.

According to her, appropriate legislation should be put in place to enable pharmaceutical manufacturing industries support industrially relevant research to pilot scale without them losing funds.

She noted that this was necessary because pharmaceutical research process was fragile and complex, adding: “The time frame runs into decades rather than years and months. Also, success is somewhat slow, even for the most promising new ideas.”

She said there should be a collation of all research efforts in all institutions of higher learning and research institutes with the aim of establishing collaboration and compiling useful and similar results for the development of raw materials and processes.

She added:  “Manufacturing industries, research institutes and institutions of higher learning should be challenged with specific national priority projects to be completed within a given time frame. Adequate reward system should be provided for achieving the expected results.”

She called for an enduring partnership between the stakeholders in the academia and manufacturing industries.

, she pointed out that the partnership would play a major role in drug discovery and development.

“This relationship will create new knowledge in disease management. It will fund critical research in academia and provide the latter with opportunity to translate their research into innovative therapeutic agents,” she added.

Igwilo added that strengthening doctoral and fellowship programmes in pharmaceutical industry will encourage young scientists to enter into the field of pharmaceutical research.