Global biopharmaceutical Concern, AstraZeneca is investing $300,000 in research on healthcare challenges in Nigeria.

At its Inaugural Research Grant Award Ceremony held in Lagos, the company said the lack of credible data on diseases and other health issues affecting Nigeria’s population was not only embarrassing but a hindrance to proper policy formulation. Karl Friberg, Country President for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, said estimates from international organisations may have understated the true prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria.

It was this need that led AstraZeneca to invite Research Proposals from Academicians and Scientists interested in the Medical and Healthcare fields in February 2014.

“There were many good Proposals that came before us but because we had set up strict guidelines regarding Subject and Budget, we passed them over”, said Dr. Funmilayo Lesi, Consultant Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at the College of Medicine,Lagos. She emphasised that the grant was focused on proposals that established epidemiological data for Non-communicable Diseases such as diabetes and hypertension amongst many more. After a thorough and painstaking process, five winning proposals were selected.

Amongst them was the Research Proposal on the Effect of Diabetes Education on the Control and Quality of Life in Type 2 Diabetes submitted by Senior Registrar, Endocrinology at the LUTH, Dr Opeoluwa Fasanmade.

Another awardee, Prof. Oladiran Famurewa of the Department of Microbiology, Ekiti State University, will conduct research on how the Staffold virus contributes to Acute Flaccid Paralysis of unknown origin.