The Pharmacy Bill would stop the unsuitable drug distribution routes that have made Nigeria notorious for the bogus medicine syndrome, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.
Cyril Usifo, the society’s president, said this at the PSN’s 95th annual conference, which just ended in Jos, Plateau State.
Useful also praised the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (ret. ), for signing the Pharmacy Bill, which he characterized as a historic.
Usifo, however, urged presidential candidates from all political parties to start considering how to expedite fresh but significant investments in healthcare, noting that the pharmaceutical industry presents the best opportunities in this area.
In a determined effort to achieve medical sufficiency and security, he also urged the Federal Government to support a viable petrochemical industry that ensures an industrial revolution outside of the pharmaceutical sector. He added that Nigerian pharmacists must become primary producers of APIs, excipients, equivalents, packaging materials, and all other finished products.
Usifo stated that the PSN is driving steps to build the National Post-graduate College of Pharmacists in response to recent statements made by various concerned stakeholders calling for the creation of a comprehensive Academic Pharmacy resource template in Nigeria.