Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry struggling – Expert

Nigeria’s local pharmaceutical industry is still struggling as a result of the unpleasant economic situation in the country, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Fidson Healthcare Plc, Mr Fidelis Ayebae, has said.

Ayebae, who was the chief launcher at the book launch and end of tenure ceremony of the outgoing Registrar of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharm Elijah Mohammed, decried the non-availability of foreign exchange to import raw materials or packaging materials, chemicals, as well as importation of life-saving drugs.

According to him, when the economy is struggling, one of the few things that suffers first is the healthcare industry.

The outgoing Registrar of PCN, Pharm Elijah Mohammed, said pharmacists were not overregulated contrary to popular belief.

He said, “We are not overregulating them, in fact, we feel that the regulations are not even strong enough for us right now. The only problem is that regulations on ground now are targeted towards enforcing good pharmaceutical practice on the pharmacists, and because through the chain of practice, you must always see a pharmacist; whether it is wholesale, retailing, importation and manufacturers, among others, there must be a pharmacist that is accountable to the council.”

Pharm Mohammed, however, said the regulations were now being reviewed so that both the pharmacist, the businessman and whoever was involved would be held responsible for any malpractice that was found in the pharmaceutical landscape.