NIPRD To Commence Production Of Sickle Cell Drugs

The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) will begin soon the production of sickle cell drugs, otherwise known as niprisan in large quantities.

According to researchers, the drugs have proven to be one of its kind to be administered to sickle cell patients and has been adjudged to be the most effective in the world.

The president, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai disclosed this when the association paid a courtesy visit to NIPRD and announced the investment of N10 million for the cause in Abuja. He stated that such effort was part of the agency’s social responsibility to the common man.

Yakasai said research and development must be promoted in the agency which has been underfunded, as well as in other pharmaceutical sciences especially as Nigeria is towing the line of industrialisation in the production of drugs to be used within and outside the country.

“We are going to give a seed money to revive NIPRD to commence the production of niprisan for the good of the common man. We are investing the sum of N10 million into the production of niprisan.

The money will be given immediately and they will start the production from next week.     The products will be in the market. Instead of producing few tablets, they will be produced in large quantities,” he said.

“If we want to be an industrialized nation, we must promote research and development. This is the centre of excellence, we must collaborate and foster to see that we go the way that we want to go. I will advocate and I will be an ambassador of this centre. We are going to lobby not just at the national level but also at the international level for funding,” he added.