The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
says World Health Organisation (WHO) has added Sulfadoxine/Pyrimethamine antimalarial drugs by Swiss Pharma
Nigeria Ltd to its list of pre-qualified medicines.
The Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known at a news conference in Lagos on Thursday.
Mojisola, who described the development as a great feat, said Swiss Pharma has become the first indigenous manufacturer in
Nigeria, West and Central Africa, to have two of its drugs added to WHO pre-qualified drugs.
She recalled that the WHO Prequalification Unit in 2023 added Pediatric Zinc Sulphate tablet (20mg dispersible tablet), also manufactured
by Swiss Pharma to its pre-qualified medicines.
She explained that the feat was achieved following meaningful collaboration between the company and NAFDAC, as well as systematic
implementation of policies.
The NAFDAC boss noted that the current NAFDAC administration had reiterated commitment to formulate policies
targeted at enhancing capacity of local drug manufacturers that meet global Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
She said “it is with great joy and privilege to inform stakeholders and the teeming Nigerian public that WHO has pre-qualified
another product, Sulphadoxine/Pyrimethamine tablet from the same manufacturer to its lists of prequalified products.
“This development makes Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited the first indigenous manufacturer in Nigeria to achieve this laudable
feat in West and Central Africa.
“With this achievement, Swiss Pharma has added another first to its arsenal of firsts. Being the first manufacturer to be recognised
by WHO as operating at an acceptable level of compliance to GMP requirements in West Africa.
“The manufacturer is also the first in finished pharmaceutical products to attain prequalification of two products in the West
and Central African sub-region within the time space of 15 months.
“Our designated inspectors in NAFDAC provided immense technical support prior to WHO’s site inspection and valuable
insight into objective review of Corrective and Preventive Actions to address the few observed non-conformance recorded during
WHO’s inspection.
“This additional feat has reinforced our believe that with the right attitude, collaboration, synergy and appropriate policies,
Nigeria Pharma Industries can become a force to reckon with.”
The NAFDAC boss also encouraged other local drug manufacturers to emulate the feat.(NAN).
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