Clamour for Medicine Security, Self- sufficiency in Local Manufacturing
Towards ensuring the security of medicines in Nigeria, as well as self-sufficiency in the local manufacturing of drugs, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, PMG-MAN, recently tasked the federal government to create an enabling environment, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) is a sub sector of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) which represents all the manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and allied products in Nigeria, who collectively play key role in ensuring that Nigerians have timely access to affordable, safe and high quality medicines.
Recently, the group reinforced the clamour for medicine security, as well as self -sufficiency in the local manufacturing of Pharmaceutical products including vaccines.
They made this call at the recent press conference to announce the forthcoming sixth edition of the Nigeria Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Expo (NPME), themed “Advancing the frontiers of medicine security in Nigeria, expanding local pharma manufacturing in the era of AfCFTA”, which is billed to hold October 18-19, 2022 at the Haven, Oba Akinjobi Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
Medicine Security
Medicine security means that every clinic, health worker and patient – everyone – around the world has reliable, equitable access to the medicine and supplies they need to achieve good health…a goal worth striving for.
This is exactly what the group is clamouring for. Corroborating, MD/CEO, May & Baker Nig Plc, Mr. Patrick Ajah, said: “PMG-MAN is the lasting solution to fake and substandard drugs.
“The reason is that the local manufacturers are regulated by the National Agency for Food & Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and NAFDAC is thorough. So in terms of validating quality, we can be trusted. We must begin to patronise our own.”
Hope for Local Vaccine Production
Giving voice to the need to produce vaccines locally, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO), May & Baker, Patrick Ajah, said Nigeria might begin local production of vaccines in 2024.
Ajah, who also doubles as the Chairman, NPME 2022 Organising Committee, said: “Hopefully before the end of this year, there is going to be groundbreaking for the local manufacture of vaccines in Nigeria. Once this is done, I think in two years, we shall begin to manufacture vaccines locally.”
He noted that the federal government’s partnership with May & Baker, which gave rise to the Joint Venture (JV) company, Biovaccines Nigeria Limited (BVNL), is making tremendous progress.
Challenges for Local Pharma
Despite the huge and critical role the Pharmaceutical industry plays, it’s not without its fair share of challenges.
According to the group, brain drain, high cost of diesel, high cost of production, bad debt are some of the factors undermining its capacity to thrive and compete with their global counterparts.
He said: “Energy plays crucial factor in production, and majority of members don’t depend on government electricity to produce because it is not reliable. Mostly, we generate our own energy by ourselves, even the water, we are using, doing all these alone are great burdens.
“It is something government should providing for us but since what the government is giving us are not reliable, we have to do the needful, the cost of diesel alone is something else yet we are slammed with multiple taxes by government at different levels that not doing the needful.”
Appeal to Government
For Frank Muonemeh, executive secretary PMG-MAN, he posited that the government needs to do more to encourage local manufacturers and companies to maintain its leadership in Africa.
Noting that government has a role to play for the industry to thrive, Ajah on the other hand further called on government to address issue of brain drain which is making them to loose many good hands in the industry to other nations.
The group also appealed to the Federal Government to pay the money owing its members by teaching hospitals. According to him, the huge indebtedness of the government’s institutions especially, the tertiary health institutions is affecting capacity many of pharmaceutical companies, adding that many teaching hospitals are indebted to pharmaceutical companies to the tunes of several millions.
Ajah also made a call for an enabling environment, which he said is essential because it is going to increase the local aptitude for Research and Development and also build capacity utilisation.
Corroborating, Head of Marketing, Fidson Pharmaceuticals, Friday Enaholo, charged government to create the enabling environment for local pharma manufacturers, adding that they are bearing the brunt of the increase in the price of energy generation which has slowed the pace of their growth and expansion.
Stressing that pharmaceutical manufacturers cannot afford to pass the brunt of cost of production to consumers given that it would make the market uncompetitive and pave the way for foreign companies to take over the local market, he called for balance.
Nigeria Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Expo
Speaking on the forthcoming Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Expo, Muonemeh said the event offers many opportunities for local manufacturers to showcase, network and exchange idea with their foreign counterpart.
He disclosed that over 50 foreign pharmaceutical manufacturing companies had already registered to participate in the two -days events.
Stressing that the conference is aimed at offering an unparalleled business networking opportunity to meet the professionals across the broad spectrum of pharmaceutical manufacturing, he said: “Nigerian Pharma space is predicted by experts, to be the next frontier for a smart investment, it has great but largely untapped potential to contribute to national and regional development.
” To unlock the hugely untapped potentials, we organise a Pharma Expo and Exhibition biennially, focusing on the exhibition of latest pharma machinery and equipment and showcasing of our locally manufactured medicines.”
He noted that the event is being put together by PMGMAN and its partners – GPE India, and is designed to offer a complete spectrum of pharma processing and packaging machinery and material on one business platform.
“The NPME is the definitive pharma industry event and is known to attract close to 200 exhibiting companies and nearly 10,000 pharma and related sectors’ trade professionals from across the region.
“This year, exhibitors from five continents, as well as delegates from across Africa are expected at the event that offers the platform for smart investment in the sector, a partnership that works between state and non-state actors in the sector, and most importantly contract manufacturing and market access opportunity.”
Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement Positioning
According to the committee, the sixth NPME is a must attend event for all the actors in the pharmaceutical manufacturing ecosystem, as it offers a “rare opportunity for productive networking and B2B engagement amongst all actors, regulators, policy makers, professionals, ancillary companies, academia, students, development partners, bilateral organisations, researchers, non-governmental organisations”.
They noted that the theme was conceptualised to enable a robust and comprehensive stakeholder engagement in the Industry, essentially as it concerns Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement and the positioning of the industry for global competitiveness, post pandemic recovery.
Expatiating, they posited that given that the economy is just recovering from the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and the health sector, the pandemic was a reminder to all on the need for countries to prioritise their local pharmaceutical manufacturing sector as there is a strong nexus between Medicine security and National security, the vaccine Nationalisation comes to mind.
“The pandemic has challenged us as a group to innovate, re-purpose and upscale our facilities to become competitive and more responsive in closing the gap in access to medicine, as members are making SMART investments –buying machineries and looking at more innovative partnership and technology transfer.
” The AfCFTA regime also has its own potentials for revolutionising the industry; however this is attainable, only – within the context which government allows for speedy infrastructural development and contextualised policy. The NPME offers all a platform to have robust discourse on the subject by experts,” they added.
About PMG-MAN
Essentially, the PMG-MAN collectively plays a strategic role in ensuring that safe, high quality and affordable medicines are produced in Nigeria.
In 2023, the group will be celebrating her 40years of advocacy on Medicine security, having been inaugurated in the year 1983 and launched by the then Hon Minister for health Prof. Olikoye Ransome Kuti.
The group has evolved from a humble beginning of 20 foundation members to over 120 member companies holding forth in closing the widening gap in access to Medicine in Nigeria and West Africa.
Beyond the collective role of overcoming barriers to -access to medicine in Nigeria, they contribute hugely to the National development, providing jobs to the teaming Nigerians, paying tax etc.
The group’s ambitious goal is to drive the attainment of Self-sufficiency and Medicine Security status for Nigeria, thus reversing the country overt dependency on imported medicine, changing the narrative.
Traditionally, the group leverages on her activities and platform to engage and make bold industry statement on the capacity of the local pharma manufacturing in Nigeria and also promote self-regulatory model amongst members, amongst these activities are the following- Good Manufacturing practice trainings, CEOs Forum, Social corporate responsibility, Policy dialogue on Medicine security and Nigeria Pharma Manufacturing Expo(NPME) etc.
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The pandemic has challenged us as a group to innovate, re-purpose and upscale our facilities to become competitive and more responsive in closing the gap in access to medicine, as members are making SMART investments –buying machineries and looking at more innovative partnership and technology transfer
