•Can only boast of 30% local production capacity

By Chioma Obinna

Nigeria’s overdependence on imported drugs running into 70 per cent has remained a major setback in the country’s efforts to achieve medical security.

Today, with a growing population of over 200 million, Nigeria can only boast of 30 per cent local production of drugs, a situation that has placed the country at the mercy of countries like China and India among others.

On top of this is the fact that Nigeria relies on imported Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, API, as well as equipment used in drug manufacturing.

Sadly, experts say Nigeria not being able to guarantee national sufficiency and medicine security will hamper effective containment of diseases, and mortality as well as sustaining other healthcare needs of Nigerians.

Statistics from the Foreign Trade Statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, shows that Nigeria imported antimalarial drugs valued at N65.988 billion in the third quarter of 2021 and N43.472 billion in the fourth quarter of the same year.

Dying from lack of medicines
Availability of medicines is one thing, affordability is another. While countries like South Africa and Ghana have made efforts to make drugs affordable through insurance schemes, Nigerians still pay out of pocket.

The trend of overdependence on drug importation as well as donor aid is not only threatening the health of citizens and promoting drug falsification, counterfeit and substandard pharmaceutical products, but may hinder Nigeria from attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, 1, 3, 8 and 9.

In Nigeria, the prices of over-the-counter, OTC, drugs produced locally have doubled. Pain killers like paracetamol sold for N50 per sachet previously now go for N100 depending on the area of purchase. Injection water popular called “drip”, sold for N300 previously, has increased to N750 – N1,000 and above.

Prices of antimalarials have forced many Nigerians to go back to herbal medicines (agbo) in the quest for solutions to the numerous health challenges. However, pharmacists say pharmacotherapy is the mainstay for the vast majority of conditions.

The current situation is against the Federal government’s amended National Drug Policy 2005 which states that, among other things, 70 per cent of the drugs consumed in the country should be produced locally while 30 per cent is imported.

Dearth of capacity in local production
Today, over $14 billion is spent on the importation of pharmaceutical products by Nigeria and other African countries due to a lack of capacity in local production.

Some pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria are currently struggling even after acquiring the World Health Organisation’s prequalification that would enable them to compete in international contract rounds.

Most local drug manufacturers purchase active pharmaceutical ingredients from other manufacturers and formulate them into finished drugs; hence, they are limited to purchasing drugs and repackaging them for use.

Regulatory Agencies like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, may have been overwhelmed by the circulation of fake and counterfeit drugs nationwide.

These and more have made the quest for medicine security impossible despite the Federal Government’s N100 billion pharmaceutical fund.

In a chat with Good Health Weekly, a renowned Community Pharmacist, Pharm Jonah Okotie, lamented that Nigeria that used to be a major producer ofpharmaceuticals has become a dump ground.

Looking for medicines security
He said medicine security can only happen in Nigeria with intentionality, willingness, monitoring, infrastructure availability, support and incentivisation, affordable finance, guaranteed patronage, development of allied industries such as petroleum products relevant to pharmaceuticals, manpower development and relevant technology acquisition, and improved public perception of the industry amongst so many others.

Okotie who is also the Chief Executive of Engraced Pharmacy Ltd and former General-Secretary, Association of Community Pharmacist, ACPN, Lagos State Branch Okotie said he was unaware of the accessibility of the N100 billion intervention fund for the sector, adding that some production facilities have been trying to access N28 million in the last two years without success.

“Who is supervising and ensuring the fund achieves its set objective; improve our pharmaceutical and medical capabilities as a nation?

“Even the last leg of the value-chain is not left out: the wholesalers and retailers, if you don’t make provision for affordable finance, you will be ensuring the proliferation of charlatans and promoting quackery thereby putting the health and lives of our people at risk the more.”

He said the N100 billion intervention fund if utilised properly and monitored well, it will become a seed for revamping and rebirth of the industry and guide to guaranteeing medicine security going forward.

He insisted that regulation should not just be for censorship, but also for promotion and development of competencies, capabilities and trade of the industries including export capabilities.

“There ought to be a thread running through to ensure a seamless and continuous operation.” Okotie further stated that the ACfCTA was going to worsen the situation.

“We complain our people are underemployed, but, we find it convenient to promote import because of personal benefits to those who make the decisions and run our affairs. Do we have a medicines bank? If crisis should break out, can we guarantee the supply of medicines such as paracetamol to even our public hospitals for one month? Information provision and accessibility are other key issues in the industry.

“The way forward is that those in the corridors of power starting from the Commander-in-Chief and his entire team to the civil servants as well as stakeholders must not only be willing, and interested in making it a reality, but they must also be committed. Putting our mouth where our money is should be our responsibility going forward. “There is also the need for policies that ensure made-in- Nigeria is not only patronised for the sake of it, also quality and value are improved to ensure the goods can compete in the global market.”

The Managing Director/Chief Research Officer Sonedis Nigeria Ltd, Dr Solomon Aigbavboa said government at all levels should show strong commitment and political will towards securing Nigeria’s pharma industry.

Aigbavboa called for the implementation and enforcement of the various drug laws, policies and guidelines that were deficient.