Nigeria is expected to dramatically increase its domestic drug production as part of a new collaboration between the US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate in a post on X on Monday.
This agreement intends to improve local drugs production and regulatory control
with a goal of reaching 70% local production and adding 30,000 new employment by 2030.
The partnership aims to create a centralized location for sophisticated analytical laboratory services and bioequivalency investigations.
By utilizing USP’s global expertise, this facility will guarantee the quality of locally produced pharmaceuticals, hence enhancing local production capabilities.
“The collaboration will enable the local production of complex formulations and enhance regulatory oversight capabilities through the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). This aligns perfectly with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) and the Renewed Hope Agenda,” said Pate.
The development of pharmaceutical-grade excipients and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) is one of the main goals of the MOU.
Nigeria’s healthcare sector is grappling with many difficulties, such as a high reliance on imported medications, a lack of local production capacity, problems with local medicine quality control, insufficient regulatory supervision, and a brain drain in the industry.
