NAFDAC Drums Support for Local Production of Medicines, Vaccines  

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja 

The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, has called for a synergy between the nation’s pharmaceutical manufacturers and Nigeria universities in the development of new medicines and vaccines to reduce the overdependence on imported medical products.

The DG described President Bola Tinubu’s recent ban on the importation of readily available products in Nigeria as the needed elixir for the growth of the local industry.

She therefore urged the nation’s academia and pharmaceutical industry to forge a partnership in research and development to enable the production of new products, including medicines and vaccines, that can address specific healthcare needs in Nigeria.

She said the lecturers could Initiate Collaborative Research and Development (R&D) Pilot Programme to Foster Industry-Academia Linkages.

A statement signed by the Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, quoted the NAFDAC’s DG as having made the admonition while speaking on the topic, ‘Industry, Regulatory, and Academia: The Future of Pharmaceutical Research and Development in Nigeria is Now’ at the 38th edition of Prof Victor Olufemi Marquis’ Memorial lecture, organised by the Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University OAU, lle-Ife, Osun State.

According to Adeyeye, universities are well-positioned to develop skills, and to transfer knowledge, and technology to the industry, adding that universities are a hub for creating new enterprises, and their roles in knowledge and technology innovation tend to become more diverse. 

She noted that academia–industry linkage is essential for any nation to survive because it creates a formal platform for joint planning and implementation of mutually beneficial ties to both sides.  

Adeyeye, who said that NAFDAC already has relationships with many universities in Nigeria, added that such collaborations would also create an opportunity for the university and students to have experiential learning in the manufacturing and service industry.

She mentioned the possible areas of collaboration between the industry and academia, especially regarding clinical trials, or bioequivalence studies where the universities can partner on patient recruitment, trial coordination and ethical approvals.

She said joint development of indigenous vaccines to fight endemic diseases in the West African region, like Lassa fever, should be the preoccupation of the universities. 

She mentioned that another channel of participation or collaboration with vaccine manufacturing is technology transfer and local ‘fill and finish’ of vaccines, adding that there are so many opportunities to collaborate with universities regarding vaccine manufacturing.

She noted that the skill set required can only be addressed through effective and innovative collaboration between the academia and industry.  

The role of R&D in Nigeria cannot be overemphasised, especially in increasing local production of pharmaceuticals, reducing import dependence, creating jobs, improving healthcare outcomes, reducing disease burden, better access to medicines, improving targeted therapy, and treatment options,’ she said. 

To jumpstart the process, Adeyeye disclosed that NAFDAC plans to initiate a pilot R&D collaboration programme with participants drawn from the universities and a select group of Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturers. 

She said manufacturers would choose their preferred university partners on specific R&D projects, subject to their needs or gaps.