Industry stakeholders advocate local drug production

Drugs production. (File photo).

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Industry experts in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector have urged a renewed focus on domestic drug manufacturing, insisting it is the most reliable path to affordable, secure, and steady medicine availability.

They made the call on Saturday evening during an event organised to mark the 25th anniversary of Geneith Pharmaceuticals Limited at the Orchid Hotel, Lekki, Lagos.

They warned that Nigeria’s heavy reliance on imported medicines continues to expose the country to high drug prices, foreign exchange pressure, and supply chain vulnerabilities.

Leading the call, the MD/CEO of Geneith, Emmanuel Umenwa, said the company’s renewed focus on manufacturing reflects a strategic commitment to strengthening domestic medicine production and reducing Nigeria’s vulnerability to foreign supply shocks.

“We have spent 25 years expanding access to essential medicines,” he said, adding that “the next phase of our growth prioritises local production, quality systems, and long-term sustainability.”

Speaking in the same vein, the CEO of Reals Pharmaceuticals Limited, Ade Popoola, commended Geneith for its milestone and stressed the urgent need for Nigerian pharmaceutical companies to embrace local manufacturing if the nation is to guarantee medicine security and economic stability.

He noted that countries dominating pharmaceutical production control pricing, access, and innovation, noting that Nigeria has the human capital and market size to compete regionally.

Also speaking, a professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Benin,  Ighodaro Igbe, highlighted Nigeria’s major disease burdens, including malaria, antimicrobial resistance, diabetes, neurological disorders, pain, and fungal infections, emphasising that local manufacturing remains the most effective way to ensure affordable and consistent access to essential medicines.

Also contributing,  the National Publicity Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Lizzette Njideka Ezenekwe, highlighted the need to retain skilled personnel, strengthen quality systems, and build local manufacturing capacity in line with national health priorities.

She urged the government to support local manufacturers with stable policies, improved infrastructure, timely payments, and access to finance to make domestic pharmaceutical production sustainable and competitive.

The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Tanko Ayuba, congratulated Geneith for its enduring contributions to the pharmaceutical sector and stressed that local manufacturing should remain the priority for all Nigerian pharmaceutical companies to ensure medicine affordability, consistent supply, and public health protection.

Also speaking, the Vice-Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Charles Okechukwu Esimone, commended Geneith for venturing into pharmaceutical manufacturing despite prevailing economic and regulatory challenges, describing the initiative as forward-looking and vital for long-term drug security.

Other personalities at the event, including a former Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; the President of the Association of Pharmaceuticals Importers of Nigeria, Sir Nnamdi Obi, backed Geneith’s move for local drug production, noting that it remained crucial to drug security.

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