Katsina State Taskforce on Influx of Illicit drugs and drugs abuse has apprehended six persons and seized drugs worth N200 million. The State commissioner for health and chairman of the committee, Mariyatu Bala Usman, confirmed this in Katsina at the weekend. Represented by director of pharmaceutical services in the ministry, Aminu Usman Koguna, said the committee set up by the state government following worries over alarming rate of illegal sales and drugs abuse across the state nabbed the suspects and the drugs following a tip off.

The truck and the suspects, according to him, were apprehended with 3,960 cartons of suspected assorted drugs including N24 million worth of cough syrup with codeine in 400 cartons.

He sued for continued cooperation of all in exposing perpetrators of the unwholesome business to tackle the serious challenges posed by consumption of illegal or illicit drugs. In his remarks, the State Commander  of NDLEA, Maryam Gambo Sani, said the impounded drugs were ordered by a Funtua based company from a firm in Anambra State. She lauded the cooperation and the commitment of security agencies and other stakeholders in the committee and appealed to the public to continue to assist the task force with relevant information.

Source: Leadership Newspaper

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Katsina State Taskforce on Influx of Illicit drugs and drugs abuse has apprehended six persons and seized drugs worth N200 million. The State commissioner for health and chairman of the committee, Mariyatu Bala Usman, confirmed this in Katsina at the weekend. Represented by director of pharmaceutical services in the ministry, Aminu Usman Koguna, said the committee set up by the state government following worries over alarming rate of illegal sales and drugs abuse across the state nabbed the suspects and the drugs following a tip off.

The truck and the suspects, according to him, were apprehended with 3,960 cartons of suspected assorted drugs including N24 million worth of cough syrup with codeine in 400 cartons.

He sued for continued cooperation of all in exposing perpetrators of the unwholesome business to tackle the serious challenges posed by consumption of illegal or illicit drugs. In his remarks, the State Commander  of NDLEA, Maryam Gambo Sani, said the impounded drugs were ordered by a Funtua based company from a firm in Anambra State. She lauded the cooperation and the commitment of security agencies and other stakeholders in the committee and appealed to the public to continue to assist the task force with relevant information.

Source: Leadership Newspaper

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There was pandemonium around Abeokuta Street in the heart of Kaduna city yesterday as unknown gunmen shot and killed a patent medicine vendor, Alhaji Tajudeen Adegbite.

It was gathered that the perpetrators stormed the deceased patent medicine store at about 8:30p.m. on Sunday where they took their time to take snacks and soft drinks while monitoring movement of their target. While this was going on, the shop owner was preparing to close for the day.According to an eyewitness, the late Adegbite was shot at close range but he did not die until yesterday. “He was shot at close range and died today (Monday),” he said.

The witness added that the gunmen moved into the shop and invited the late Tajjudeen Adegbite outside, where he was shot on his right foot, he cried for help and they fired the second shot in his chest.

“After taking their soft drinks and snack, they went into the patent medicine store and invited the owner, Alhaji Tajudeen Adegbite, outside and shot him. The assailants jumped into their waiting Golf 3 car and sped off leaving the victim in the pool of his blood.Neighbours later called in the police who arrived at the scene and took Adegbite to a nearby hospital,” added the eyewitness.

The police in Kaduna State confirmed the incident.The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Aliyu Mukhtar, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, said the police received a distressed call and immediately swung into action by dispatching a team to the scene of the incident.

Mukhtar hinted that the Commissioner of Police, Austin Iwar, had ordered for a massive manhunt for the killers while investigation was ingoing. The police spokesman said: “Our men in collaboration with neighbours took the victim to a nearby hospital but unfortunately he gave us the ghost before help could be rendered.

“We are working round the clock to ensure that the perpetrators of this gruesome act are brought to justice. We also call on the public to help us with information that may lead to tracking down the killers. But let me assure you that the Commissioner of Police, Austin Iwar, has ordered for massive manhunt to fish out the perpetrators.”

Source: The Guardian

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A medical expert, Dr. Stephen Aderemi of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, has warned people against excessive consumption of locally prepared herbs to avoid causing serious damage to their health.

Aderemi gave the warning Monday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Ilorin on Monday.

Herbs are plants with savoury or aromatic properties used for flavouring food, in medicine, or as fragrances.

Aderemi explained that not all the plants reported to be useful were harmless.

According to him, if plants are taken without adequate knowledge, they can cause kidney and liver dysfunction and death in some cases.

He said that many of the available herbal products being marketed in the country had no clear statement of content, adding that there was no information to show that they were certified by a recognised medical body.

“Herbal medicines contain toxicity and the risk that comes with it outweighs its benefits. That is why Nigerians need to refrain from its consumption, in order to prevent health mishaps.

“I pity some patients who go after traditional medicines for their ailments without knowing that they are risking their lives.

‘’Some of the herbs are harmful to the extent of damaging the kidney and even resulting in death.

”Some of the so-called traditional medicines sold in Nigerian have no clear statement of content or certified by any recognised medical body, yet, Nigerian patronise them,” he said

Aderemi expressed concern at the rate some Nigerians patronised herbal medicines because according to him, such medicines worked faster and cheaper than the conventional medicines.

The doctor, who is also expressed worry about the proliferation of herbal concoction, said many of the people who engaged in the business did so without any formal training.

“Most of the local herbs are deadly that should be avoided, because many of the sellers go into the business without training, but to flee from the grips of unemployment to make ends meet.”

He cautioned patients who found solace in local herbs to be health conscious and stop the intake of such products because such herbs had not been subjected to laboratory analysis.

Source: Punch

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Pharm. (Mrs) Biola Paul-Ozieh, immediate past chairman Lagos ACPN, Pharm. Olabanji Benedict Obideyi, chairman, Lagos ACPN; and Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator, vice-chairman, at the event.

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria ACPN, Lagos State Chapter, has called on the Lagos State government, under the leadership of Governor Akinwumi Ambode, to critically re-evaluate the implementation of the proposed Lagos State Health Scheme in order to avoid booby traps that may derail the good intentions of the state government in its drive towards universal health coverage.

The immediate past chairman of the association, Pharm. (Mrs) Biola Paul-Ozieh, made the appeal during the association’s 2018 annual general meeting held in Lagos recently.

According to her, any health scheme or health insurance scheme that will deliberately overlook matters of professional role separation and inclusiveness, segregation of health facilities into primary, secondary and tertiary, as well as payment mechanism is bound to fail woefully just like the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

The former ACPN chairman further noted that the unfortunate developments in the NHIS, including the recent management imbroglio, had made the scheme more or less moribund, saying it would require strong political will on the part of the federal government to revive it.

“In the case of the proposed Lagos State Health Scheme, the public that will be made to make monthly, quarterly and annual payments to the scheme should not be shortchanged through shoddy service provision and selective enrichment of certain group of stakeholders,” Paul-Ozieh said.

The outspoken former ACPN boss also called on the FG to, as a matter of urgency, reconstitute the board of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), which was dissolved over three years ago, saying each time boards of the council and other health professions are dissolved, there are setbacks to their operations.

She however commended the government for appointing a substantive director general for NAFDAC, in person of Prof. (Mrs) Moji Adeyeye, saying the association was confident that the agency would witness many positive developments that would reposition it for better service delivery in safeguarding the health of the nation and covering noticeable gaps in the achievement of the mandate of NAFDAC as a regulatory agency.

Also speaking at the event, Pharm. Deji Osinoiki, chairman, ACPN board of trustees, noted that the failure of the federal government to close all open drug markets in the country was responsible for the increasing rate of drug abuse in the country.

“If you look around, our society is now littered with issue of drug abuse and misuse, especially among our youth who are now fond of abusing drugs like Codeine, Tramadol and others. I have said this countless times that most of these drugs they abuse are like poisons, and when they take them, especially in excess, it causes serious health challenges to them or even lead to death. So, government should do something about this as it has become a menace to our society,” Osinoiki said.

The highpoint of the programme was the election of the new executives of the association. They include: Pharm. Olabanji Benedict Obideyi, chairman; Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator, vice-chairman; Pharm. Jonah Okotie, secretary; Pharm. Charles Oyeniyi, assistant secretary; Pharm. George Agbude, treasurer; Pharm. Obiageri Ethel Ikwu, financial secretary; Pharm. Mosunmola Dosunmu, public relations officer; and Pharm. Paul Owolabi, editor-in-chief.

Source: Pharma News

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During the Save 500 Lives exercise no fewer than 360 students of the University of Lagos (  UNILAG  ) turned out on Wednesday to donate a pint of blood each to sickle cell and cancer child patients.

The donors trooped out in multitudes to donate their blood at the New Hall and Bookshop areas of the Akoka campus where makeshift blood transfusion centres were provided.

The blood donation exercise was spearheaded by Project Smile, a non-governmental organisation, in partnership with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the Association of Medical Students, UNILAG (AMSUL).

According to the organizers, the joint-project tagged Save 500 Lives is aimed at raising at least 500 pints of blood for sickle cell and cancer child patients in LUTH.

Although, they did not reach this target on Wednesday, the organizers have said that they intend to conduct a supplementary exercise to meet their target.
The organizers explained that the donation exercise was due to the insufficiency of blood reserves in the Hospital’s blood banks.

This issue, however, is not just a reality in LUTH, but it stretches even beyond many hospitals countrywide.

Nigeria’s former minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, in 2013, said that less than 10 percent of Nigerians voluntarily donate blood.

He noted that while 60 percent of the country’s blood donations came from commercial donors, the remaining 30 percent were from family members.

Meanwhile, the Chief Donor Officer, Haematology Department, LUTH, Mrs Mercy Onofomi, acknowledged that the hospital was currently struggling with low blood supply to its reserves.

Onofomi blamed the blood bank supply shortages on lack of voluntary blood donation by Nigerians.

She said, “In LUTH, we use up to 50 pints (of blood), and you can imagine how many days these 500 (blood pints) will last.

“And our blood [bank at LUTH] is not always enough because of the volume of blood we use. We use blood for cancer people, we use it for accidents, we use for obstetrics, that is pregnant women. We have people that live on blood.

“So, the volume of blood we use per day in LUTH is very high, and family cannot replace all.”

She, however, called for more voluntary participation by Nigerians in blood donation exercises.

“You can imagine where one person uses 15 units of blood. How many will the relation replace?

“…How many can their relation donate that will be enough? That’s why we need this kind of voluntary blood donation to really augment the one family replacements donate.

”And in a normal practice, it is not supposed to be family replacement; it is supposed to be voluntary blood donation that they use. So, that’s why this blood [donation exercise] is very important. “

Speaking during the exercise, one of the co-founders of Project Smile and creator of the Save 500 Lives initiative, Oyinda Olayinka, explained the initiative was inspired from an encounter with the sickle cell and cancer child patients at LUTH.

According to the 300 level Medical student, “It started with a Christmas party we had for children with sickle and cancer last year. After the party, we started hearing requests that these children actually need blood.

“So, we thought about what could we do for them? And we came up with this idea: We get people to donate blood, and we give it to them for free.”

“We plan to get 500 pints of blood for 500 people. So, basically, we are saving 500 lives; a pint for a child with sickle cell (or) cancer,” Oyinda Ige, a co-founder and Medical student, added.

Also, AMSUL’s President, Chukwuemeka Agbarakwe, said that the initiative would be organized for the second time within the next one year.

“Considering the passion and the vision that both the organizers and all other stakeholders have kept, it’s an initiative that will continue.

“It wouldn’t even wait till one year to replicate itself,” the 600 Level Medical Student said.

Some of the donors (including first time donors) shared their views about the initiative and the donation exercise.

Source: The Nation

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The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, has urged pharmacists to be fully involved in projects and programmes of the state government toward optimising patients’ outcomes.

Idris made the plea at the opening ceremony of the Pharmacy Week of the Department of Pharmacy, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja.

It was organised by the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), and the theme was: “Hospital Pharmacists and Better Patient Outcomes”.

Idris, represented by the state Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Ministry of Health, Dr Moyosore Adejumo, said: “Pharmacists work in an environment where there are other health professionals and other disciplines.

“They should build bridges and ensure that team work is strengthened through activities with others in the health sector.

At the end of the day, which is about the optimisation of care for the patients and clients who seek the services, they will ensure that quality services are provided through their various responsibilities,” he said.

Also, Mr Remi Adeseun, the Chairman of the Programmes Committee of PSN, called for specialisation, collaboration and improved relationships between pharmacists and patients.

Adeseun also urged the pharmacists to embrace technology as an enabler, which would provide solutions to issues like procurement and supply chains of medicines and patients’ records.

“Role clarity, trust and confidence, collective leadership, ability to overcome adversity and personal differences are key to success in the profession and better patient outcomes,” he said.

In his remarks, the Head, Pharmacy Department, LASUTH, Mr Henry Chukwurah, said that the week programme was aimed at sensitisation, advocacy and highlighting the roles of pharmacy in healthcare setting.

Chukwurah urged pharmacists to think about managing change by seeing opportunities rather than problems.

“Find new ways of doing old things or better ways of doing new things. You may be surprised at the outcome.

We need to borrow a leaf from some management thinkers.

These thinkers believe that when organisations focus on personnel and customers, a radical change may occur as attention is paid on factors that drive efficiency and effectiveness.

This includes investment in personnel, technology that support personnel, revamped recruitment and training practices, up-to-date operational manual and a dynamic organisational structure,” he said.

Also, the Chairman of the event, Prof. Chinedu Babalola, urged pharmacists to think outside the box in spite of the challenges facing the profession.

Babalola, who is also the Vice-Chancellor, Chrisland University, Abeokuta, was represented by a former Chairman, Association of Lady Pharmacists, Mrs Modupe Ologunagba.

“Lack of finance, time, incentives and research has been identified as some of the challenges limiting hospital pharmacists from achieving better patient outcomes.

Your strengths should be emphasised. Think of specialisation in various areas like pharmaco-epideomology and adherence pharmacy,” Babalola said.

He also urged pharmacists to downplay their threats and fears, while also having, an attitudinal change.

“The pharmacists should collaborate with other healthcare professionals and engage in planning, research and implementation of healthcare interventions,” Babalola said.

Source: Von

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed how he chose the late Professor Dora Akunyili as the boss of the National Agency For Food Drug Administration And Control, NAFDAC when he was in power.

Speaking at the 14th annual lecture of the Women in Management Business and Public service, held at Eko hotels and Suites, Lagos, the former President said, “I was looking for somebody who would work in NAFDAC. There was an old man who was there and didn’t really impress me. I had had a couple of meetings with him and I found him not (to be) the type of man I would want to have on that job.

 Dora Akuyili at the National Confab shortly before her demise

“I was talking to a friend who said, ‘Oh, there is a lady; she went to Britain for a medical (program) and when she finished, she said whatever money was left from the money deposited by her department should be sent back to the department.

“And the people called her and said, ‘Are you not a Nigerian? Nigerians will come here and say add something which you would pay back to us later.’

“So, I said there is a Nigerian woman like that, where is she? So, I located Dora and I said, ‘What is your profession?’ She said, pharmacy. I said pharmacy; I am looking for a pharmacist for this job. She got the job.”

The former President said Nigeria is not “short of women of virtue, women of character, women of integrity”, even as he encouraged women to get actively involved in politics.

Source: Sahara Reporters

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President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has said that the rising menace of drug abuse in the country poses a great danger to internal security.

Saraki said this on Monday while declaring open, a public hearing on: “The Need to Check the Rising Menace of Pharmaceutical Drug Abuse among Youth in Nigeria’’ in Abuja.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was organised by Senate Joint Committees on Drugs and Narcotics and Health. Represented by Sen. Lanre Tejuosho, Saraki emphasised that the increasing dependent on narcotics, drugs and other controlled substances by members of the public was disturbing. “Drug abuse is an ill wind that blows nobody any good as many families are discovered to be affected including children and women. “This has led to incidences of armed robbery, kidnapping, militancy and other vices which have become a challenge to internal security. “Unfortunately, some of our youths who could become the leaders of tomorrow are caught in the quagmire of substance-abuse. “This is a threat to their health and wellbeing and a threat to their families so we must stem this tide,” he said.

He said that Senate was working assiduously to enact a law that would address the challenges of drug abuse in the country. “We are now working on a legislation to tighten the loose end on this issue and to ensure control and that victims are rehabilitated,’’ Saraki said. Mr Ahmed Yakassai, President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, (PSN) said there was need for improved advocacy programmes in order to curb drug abuse. He added that adequate funding was crucial in strengthening the capacity of agencies saddled with the responsibility of enforcing the laws that prohibit illicit drug activities. He said that PSN would support the call for the establishment of rehabilitation centres in the six geo-political zones of the country. (NAN)

Source: Vanguard

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A “game changing” new antibiotic which is capable of killing superbugs has been successfully synthesised and used to treat an infection for the first time – and could lead to the first new class of antibiotic drug in 30 years.

The breakthrough is another major step forward on the journey to develop a commercially viable drug version based on teixobactin – a natural antibiotic discovered by US scientists in soil samples in 2015 which has been heralded as a ‘gamechanger’ in the battle against antibiotic resistant pathogens such as MRSA and VRE.

Scientists from the University of Lincoln, UK, have now successfully created a simplified, synthesised form of teixobactin which has been used to treat a bacterial infection in mice, demonstrating the first proof that such simplified versions of its real form could be used to treat real bacterial infection as the basis of a new drug.

The team at Lincoln developed a library of synthetic versions of teixobactin by replacing key amino acids at specific points in the antibiotic’s structure to make it easier to recreate. After these simplified synthetic versions were shown to be highly potent against superbug-causing bacteria in vitro – or test tube – experiments, researchers from the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) then used one of the synthetic versions to successfully treat a bacterial infection in mice.

As well as clearing the infection, the synthesised teixobactin also minimised the infection’s severity, which was not the case for the clinically-used antibiotic, moxifloxacin, used as a control study. The findings are published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

It has been predicted that by 2050 an additional 10 million people will succumb to drug resistant infections each year. The development of new antibiotics which can be used as a last resort when other drugs are ineffective is therefore a crucial area of study for healthcare researchers around the world.

Dr Ishwar Singh, a specialist in novel drug design and development from the University of Lincoln’s School of Pharmacy, said: “Translating our success with these simplified synthetic versions from test tubes to real cases is a quantum jump in the development of new antibiotics, and brings us closer to realising the therapeutic potential of simplified teixobactins.

“When teixobactin was discovered it was groundbreaking in itself as a new antibiotic which kills bacteria without detectable resistance including superbugs such as MRSA, but natural teixobactin was not created for human use.

“A significant amount of work remains in the development of teixobactin as a therapeutic antibiotic for human use – we are probably around six to ten years off a drug that doctors can prescribe to patients – but this is a real step in the right direction and now opens the door for improving our in vivo analogues.”

Dr Lakshminarayanan Rajamani from SERI added: “We need sophisticated armour to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Drugs that target the fundamental mechanism of bacterial survival, and also reduce the host’s inflammatory responses are the need of the hour. Our preliminary studies suggest that the modified peptide decreases the bacterial burden as well as disease severity, thus potentially enhancing the therapeutic utility.”

The work builds on the success of the Lincoln team’s pioneering research to tackle antimicrobial resistance over the past 22 months to turn teixobactin into a viable drug. The team will now develop a bigger library of simplified synthetic versions which can be used in a diverse number of applications, advancing the goal of a clinical drug.

Source: University of Lincoln

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The services of a Superintendent Pharmacist is needed for immediate employment at BIFIT PHARMACY LEKKI.

Interested pharmacist should please call the following numbers 07084310535, 07063341491, 08033318355.

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Pharmacist and Founder of Livingstream Foundation, Grace Ahmed, has called on Nigerian youths to channel their energy into arts instead of engaging in drug abuse.

Ahmed made the call during the Foundation’s first art exhibition for youths in tertiary institutions on Monday in Ilorin, Kwara State, north-central Nigeria.

The theme was: “Engaging children and adolescents to end drug abuse”.

Mrs. Ahmed said that the programme was geared at sensitising youths to create alternative to drug abuse.

She urged them to explore their creative abilities, saying that every individual had creative ability or the other.

“Our foundation decided to look into arts, as an alternative for youths to be productive. There is so much you can do with your lives,” she told the youths.

Ahmed, however, pointed out that about 40 per cent of the youths in the country were already engaged in drug abuse.

She also warned that the ripple effect of drug abuse was dangerous for the nation, if not curtailed.

Also, Mr Bakau Aliu, the Chairman of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Kwara Chapter, noted that there were increased cases of drug abuse in the country.

He lamented that women now abuse drugs to escape depressing aspect of life and life challenges.

Aliu called on the youths to engage in recreational activities and channel their energy into fruitful ventures.

A lecturer at the Department of Fine Art and Applied Art, Kwara State University, (KWASU), Dr Binta Suleiman advised the youths that almost everything in life had an element of art in it.

“Art is self-expression, and making beautiful things and you have talents in you that you can explore,” she told them.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants for the exhibition were drawn from Kwara State University (KWASU), Kwara Polytechnic and Colleges of Education.

Source: Africa Prime News

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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said it had seized 158 million tablets of Tramadol.

Director Technical Services of the agency, Femi Oloruntoba, revealed this on Monday in Abuja at a public hearing organised by the Senate Joint Committee on Drugs and Narcotics and Health.

Tramadol is a narcotic-like pain reliever used to treat moderate to severe pain.

The public hearing was on a motion on “The Need to Check the Rising Menace of Pharmaceutical Drugs Abuse Among Youth in Nigeria”.

Oloruntoba noted that 50 tonnes of the drug was recently destroyed in Kano alone.

Oloruntoba who noted that there were legislations guiding the use of controlled pharmaceutical drugs like tramadol and cocaine, what was needed was enforcement of the law.

“In 2016, about 31 different substances were abused in Nigeria,” he said.

He further noted that drug was on the Exclusive Legislative List and should not be taken to the Concurrent List, adding that if it was done otherwise, it would lead to anarchy.

He lamented that only the Federal High Court had jurisdiction to try drug cases which he said was a challenge.

He therefore called on the Federal Government to increase the number of judges in the Federal High Court to try cases of drug abuse.

In his submission, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Ahmed Yakasai called for the drafting of a prescription policy to curb the menace.

“We are trying to see where we have prescription policy. If we have this prescription policy, we will know who is doing what,” he said.

Yakasai who noted that Nigerian borders were porous, decried that the National Agency For Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was not allowed access into the ports.

On her part, NAFDAC Director-General, Christiana Adeyeye, said the agency lacked adequate manpower for frequent visitation to pharmaceutical companies.

Represented by the Director of Narcotics and Controlled Substances in the agency, Umar Musa, Adeyeye said drug problem was a crisis that required collective efforts to tackle.

Earlier, Chairman of the Committee, Joshua Lidani said the use of illicit drugs, trafficking and other pharmaceutical drugs abuse particularly among women and youth was worrisome.

He said: “This calls for concern and urgent action to stem the tide. It behoves on stakeholders to strengthen and redouble our efforts to tame it, and where possible strengthen the capacity of agencies charged with the responsibility of enforcing the relevant laws to enable them discharge their responsibility effectively.”

Source: Business Day

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STRONG indications emerged Monday that Nigeria may soon relax its law against planting and consumption of cannabis, with declaration that the United Nations ((UN) has approved usage of the drug for medical purposes.

The position of UN on the usage and abuse of drug was declared by Project Officer of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Nigeria, Harsheth Kaur Virk in her presentation at the one day Public hearing organized by Senator Joshua Lidani, PDP, Gombe South led Senate Committee on Drugs and Narcotics on the need to check rising menace of Pharmaceutical drugs abuse among youth in Nigeria organised by the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Health . According to her, Cannabis is a miracle drug allowed for medical purposes by the United Nations, but not for recreational purposes, adding, “Nigeria as a sovereign Nation has its stringent laws against it but international conventions of the UN have approved it for medical purposes based on outcome of researches conducted to that effect by globally recognized institutes.” According to her, aside cannabis, recreational users of other addictive drugs by UN recommendation. should not be criminalised, but rehabilitated, adding, “The Drugs and Crime office of the UN sees addictive drugs users as people who are sick, in need of treatment, care and rehabilitation.” Meanwhile, the world organisation threw its weight behind decriminalization of drug users across the world who are sick people in of treatment, care and rehabilitation. Harsheth Kaur Virk who noted that UN is not against traffickers of such drugs being criminalised as it is the case globally, however told the gathering that the Nation’s security operatives particularly the Police should be made to be proactive in approach against drug traffickers and not reactive. Similarly, the representative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency ( NDLEA) , Mr Femi Oloruntoba , Director , Technical Services , told the committee that drug users in Nigeria are not criminalised but drug traffickers or possessors . But Professor Martins Emeje who represented the Director General of National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development ( NIPRD) at the public hearing said all stakeholders in the sector including the legislators should be blamed for the problem of drug abuse in the country . ” If the truth must be told, problem of pharmaceutical substances abuse in the country is caused by the executive , the legislature and the various regulatory agencies including the research institute I represent here “, he said . He lamented that the research institute has never been well funded by succesive governments in the country to bail out the country out of drug abuse and fake drugs, adding that in last year’s budget for example, out of the N47m requested for research, N20m was appropriated but not released . He stunned the audience when asked the amount the agency would need for research to come up with locally made drugs against malaria, HIV/Aids, fungi infection and Nasal decongestant by saying N1.2billion . Other stakeholders who made presentations were the President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria , Pharm Ahmed Yakasai, representative of the Minister of Health, Pharm Zainab Sheriff etc .

Source: Vanguard

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No fewer than 55 pharmacy graduands of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan (UI), Ibadan, Oyo State, were recently inducted into the pharmacy profession, by the Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), at the induction ceremony, held at the prestigious Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, Nigeria.

The glamorous Induction Ceremony had several dignitaries, pharmacy professors, students, parents, pharmacists, and members of staff, Faculty of Pharmacy, UI in attendance.

Top among the dignitaries that attended the event are: Pharm. Mohammed Elijah, registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN); Prof. Abel  Idowu Olayinka, vice-chancellor, University of Ibadan; Prof. Emilolorun  A  Ayelari, deputy vice-chancellor, Administration; Prof. Oluwatoyin Odeku, dean, Faculty of Pharmacy; Pharm. (Alh) Ahmed Yakasai, president, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), represented by Pharm. Abiodun Ajibade, PSN Chairman, Oyo State; Pharm. Olakunle Ekundayo, chief executive officer, and founder, Drugfield Pharmaceuticals  Limited; Pharm. Lanre Tiamiyu, president, Pharmacy Alumni, University of Ibadan; Pharm. Yejide Oseni, zonal director, PCN, South West Zone; Prof. Olabode Popoola, vice-chancellor, University of Osun State (UNIOSUN), and Pharm. (Dr) Lolu Ojo, former national chairman, NAIP.

In his address, the vice chancellor of the university, Prof. Abel Olayinka, charged the graduands to be good ambassadors of the institution, adding that they should be found worthy in character and in the discharge of their responsibilities.

He noted that in the history of the faculty, over 850 pharmacists have graduated and have started contributing in several ways to the development of pharmacy practice in particular and Nigeria as a whole, adding that pharmacy practice is an integral part of healthcare and cannot be substituted in the healthcare sector.

A cross -section of pharmacy graduands at the oath-taking ceremony

The university don, while congratulating the faculty on the recent accreditation of pharmacy programme in the university by the PCN, said his administration would continue its drive towards development in the institution and ensure that the status of the university remains the first in the country.

Presenting the 55 graduands for the oath-taking and induction ceremony, the dean of the faculty, Prof. Oluwatoyin Odeku, who disclosed that the induction was the first to be conducted by her,  since her assumption of  office as  dean,  urged the graduands to continue to uplift the banner of the university wherever they found themselves.

She further implored them to always be professional in their conducts and deeds, even during their internship , they should not be money conscious, but rather possess the zeal to save lives and satisfy the professional ethics of pharmacy profession.

While administering the oath, the Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) Pharm. Elijah Mohammed, urged the newly inducted pharmacists to abide by the ethics of the profession. He also advised them to develop leadership and interpersonal relationship skills, which he said were vital in pharmacy practice.

The keynote speaker, Pharm. Olakunle Ekundayo, explained that pharmacy profession is more than just a profession, but a calling and occupation that opens the way to several career opportunities for people to excel in life and fulfil their God-given purpose in life.

The industrial pharmacist, who spoke on the topic “It Is Written”, further admonished the graduands to be ready to position themselves for leadership roles, adding that whatever happens to them in life can be determined by them as nobody would be responsible for their life careers.

The high point of the event was the award of the much-coveted prize for the best graduating student, which was won by Adenike Rachael Adelakun.

Meanwhile, 15 graduands came out with first class honours and were featured on the ‘Roll of Honour’,  they included, Adenike Rachael Adelakun, 6.8 CGPA; Chibuzor Maureen Okoro, 6.8; Funmilayo Mosadijeofa Owolowo, 6.7; Rukayat Ohuene Audu, 6.7; Yemisi Mary Oyetunde, 6.6; Abosede Akinkuowo, 6.5; Blaise Omo-Sowho Uvie, 6.5; Anuoluwapo Esther Odunsanya, 6.5; Tolulope Stephen Babalola, 6.2; Adeola Tunmike Omotuyi, 6.2; Jeremiah Adewuyi Alade, 6.1; Shukuralilahi Abidemi Adewusui, 6.0; Emmanuel Ayodeji Agbebi, 6.0; Joshua Tosin Salako, 6.0; Dolapo Asisat Sanusi, 6.0.

Source: Pharma News

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Audu Bala, the national coordinator of National Malaria Elimination Programme, has said that malaria is a preventable, treatable and curable disease, but that statistics has shown that it remained a major public health problem in Nigeria and Africa.

Bala, however, charged Nigerians on the need to reach the pre-elimination status of malaria by the year 2020.
He made this known at the first quarter media chat in Abuja on the implications of the use of monotherapy for the treatment of malaria.
The coordinator said that there is the need for the public to be enlightened on the dangers of using oral monotherapy in the treatment of malaria.
Bala, therefore, urged Nigerians to adhere to the use of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACTs), which is the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s recommended medicine for the treatment of malaria.
He stressed that elimination of malaria requires a multi-pronged approach and social behaviour communication, thereby urging the media to disseminate vital information to wage war against malaria scourge in Nigeria.
Speaking on the recommended case management of malaria and menace of antimalaria monotherapy in Nigeria, Nnena Ogbulafor, on her own, stressed the need to test all suspected cases of malaria with Rapid Diagnostic Test Kits (RDT) before treatment of confirmed cases of uncomplicated malaria with the Artemisinin Combination Based Therapy (ACTs).
She, however, disclosed that failure to test before treatment would lead to high wastage of ACTs and accurate development of Artemisinin resistance.
Meanwhile, the director, Pharmacovigilance/post marketing surveillance, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Ali Ibrahim, speaking on the efforts of NAFDAC towards the removal of monotherapy from circulation, outlined strategies adopted by the agency to prevent the use of oral antimalaria monotherapy to include the stopping of illegal importation of Antimalaria Monotherapy in Nigeria.
According to him, the agency is faced with challenges such as inadequate funds, supply of ACTs and sensitisation of the communities.
He, however, enjoined all relevant stakeholders to collaborate with the agency to improve availability of quality assured registered ACTs, especially in the rural communities.

Source: Independent Newspaper

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Novartis announced today that it has entered into an agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK) to divest its 36.5 percent stake in its consumer healthcare joint venture (JV) to GSK for USD13.0 billion. The sale will enable Novartis to further focus on the development and growth of its core businesses.

Vas Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, said: “While our consumer healthcare joint venture with GSK is progressing well, the time is right for Novartis to divest a non-core asset at an attractive price. This will strengthen our ability to allocate capital to grow our core businesses, drive shareholder returns, and execute value creating bolt-on acquisitions as we continue to build the leading medicines company, powered by digital and data.”

The joint venture was formed in 2015 as part of Novartis’ portfolio transformation, which comprised a three-part inter-conditional transaction with GSK, including the combination of the Novartis Over-the-Counter (OTC) business with the GSK consumer healthcare business into the existing JV.

The consumer healthcare JV investment is accounted for in Novartis’ financial reporting using the equity method of accounting, whereby the Company’s share of the net income is reported as income from associated companies.

Deal terms
GSK has agreed to pay a cash consideration of USD13.0 billion for Novartis’ stake in the consumer healthcare joint venture.

The valuation, which was agreed by both parties, reflects the significant value created by the JV under the guidance of the joint JV Board and management team.

Four of the 11 directors of the joint JV Board are appointed by Novartis. They will step down in connection with the completion of the transaction.

The transaction is subject to GSK shareholder approval. Proceeds in cash are expected to be received once all closing conditions are fulfilled.

Source: Novartis

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Zainab Ujudad Shariff, a Pharmacist and Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Health ,is an expert on local medicinal plants. In this chat with ENE OSANG, the former MD of the Nigeria Medicinal Plant under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stresses the need for full utilisation of medicinal herbs and other natural resources in Nigeria.

You are a trained pharmacist; how did you get into herbal medicine?

Yes, I am a pharmacist by profession and deputy director in the federal ministry of health. I was also the managing director of the Nigeria Medicinal Plant under the ministry of agriculture and I was into the commercialisation of medicinal plants. I have held many positions including former chairman, Nigerian Pharmaceutical Society, Abuja branch, for three years. Currently; I am the national chairperson of the National Association of Lady Pharmacist in Nigeria.
My story is philosophical, when I finished my secondary school and wanted to go to university, my very good friend wanted to study medicine but I didn’t because I don’t like seeing blood. So, we made inquiries and I decided to read chemistry so I would become a teacher but the registrar of my school saw my result and advised me to study pharmacy.

I asked what pharmacy was because it was the first time I heard the word, and he said drugs and I accepted immediately. I don’t regret studying pharmacy. I liked the course not knowing that I had an inheritance from my grandmother, who was into medicinal plants and used it to manage people especially those that have fertility issues and children.

In the course of my career that aspect of me came out and since then I have never turned back. I dream plants, I see plants and talk plants. I can formulate plants in the way they do art work, I can combine plants for a particular ailment in line with the saying: Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. I can formulate these plants to produce products that are supportive therapy either for diabetics or hypertension because it is in me and what I call natural immunity.

When something acquired and something natural is put side by side the natural instincts will surpass the acquired immunity but with the professors’ knowledge and natural instincts a super deeper result can be achieved.

Would you say Nigeria explores the potential of medicinal plants?

Nigeria is yet to explore the plants because we have refused to see the right direction, a country can only grow when you look inward. What God has given to you is what you will use to prosper.

Let me emphasise more on this; we have over 8,000 species of medicinal plants, and over 79 per cent hectares of arable land in this country but we have not utilised even 15 per cent of that land.

The world’s global market for medicinal plants generates billions of dollars and the figure keeps growing yet, Nigeria is not benefiting. We have arable land we can cultivate medicinal plants and have a great, vibrant, potential job creation there.
Job creation for women, youths and everybody, that alone signifies the importance of agriculture not only in the aspect of food sufficiency but agriculture in the area of producing raw materials for pharmaceutical products, agriculture in the area of promoting medicinal plants that can generate revenue for the country.

How do you think medicinal drugs can be better utilised in Nigeria?

Those of us who have the knowledge and believe in it should be given the opportunity and supported because if we think until the white man tells us this is the best drug then we don’t appreciate God. Let me come a bit religious; in Revelations 22:2 God said ‘In the midst of the street and on either side of the river was there a tree of life, which bore 12 manners of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of nations’. Or the holy Quoran which says ‘because of lack of knowledge you have been so perished’ if you look at that aspect in the olden days they used roots and herbs for healing and God also said once there is disease the remedy must come but man must seek to find and we are not seeking in our land rather we are waiting for whites.

If we look more we will see that there is a remedy for every disease that God has allowed to inflict humanity. Even the anti-biotics we take the whites did not get ready for it, it was discovered accidentally because God has put in them the knowledge so when the professors thinks it is their professorial knowledge that will heal man how many professors do we have in Nigeria and what have we discovered.

I want us to realise that with the professorship which is good and the people who are naturally gifted should come as a team and exhibit expertise, Nigeria will be great.

I want the authorities, minister of health to see into this because even the issue of bitter cola who said it can’t cure sickness because it has anti-viral properties and anti-microbial properties and anti-viral properties which means it can be used as raw material for drugs just like we have many other anti-viral plants.

What has the experience been and have there been challenges?

I tell you, my life has been full of challenges but I am the very first director in the federal ministry of health to be given a division to head, out of merit.
Again, as an assistant director I was appointed to head a new institution under the ministry of agriculture and I am the first pharmacist in Nigeria to go to ministry of agriculture out of my passion for natural plants cultivation.

I finished my tenure and I am back to the ministry of health which is my parent ministry as a deputy director and I am passionate about medicinal plants.
God has blessed me with knowledge that is not common; I am a happily married woman with five children even though with some challenges because I was taking care of the home front and office work.

I thank God for the opportunities I have been given in life and I love Nigeria so much that is why I say Africans must believe in Africa by talking Africa, practising and selling Africa, in line with being Nigeria and selling, believing in Nigeria and practising Nigerianism.

I want to leave a legacy whereby as a lady, for your beauty for instance you can use natural plants; for small ailments you can use what you have as kitchen spice like ginger, garlic to heal yourself and I will not rest until I educate Nigerians on the importance of these plants because that is what God has given us freely.

Do you think women mentor each other?

From the bottom of my heart I have truly realised that women are their own enemies because it has happened to me whereby I am working hard and expect fellow woman to support me but I was shocked to know that it is the woman who was causing problems for me because of envy.

We need to realise that as women if we don’t support women we will have serious problems because we say it but we don’t practice it, but I believe some women do a lot to support and I hope we will stop the envy, backbiting, gossiping so we can grow because God has given women many attributes so we need to support ourselves. God has given women spiritual leadership qualities even to lead the men.

What does the Association of Lady Pharmacists do?

Specifically, the association is an interest group that started in the late 80’s. We saw the need to support our parent organisation which is the pharmaceutical society of Nigeria achieve the mandate or facilitate certain mandate that has to do with health issues, drug production and whatever that has to do with drugs led to the setting up of the association by three individuals. We are almost 30 years of existence.

What are the association’s specific achievements?

Some progress has been made since its inception, firstly, the fact that the group was set up. The then late First Lady Mariam Babangida supported the lady pharmacists to set up project 91 to encourage Nigerian women cultivate Nigerian plants in different ways. For example, Kaduna has ginger and they told the women to cultivated ginger, while Lagos was chilli pepper, we identified all these plants because those crops can even be source of raw materials for pharmaceutical products.

We have also been able to sensitize women in the six geopolitical zones through seminars and workshops where we bring resource persons to sensitise people and I can tell you that they are improving.

In Delta and Edo states they have a garden in the name of late Dora Akunyili and they are cultivating medicinal plants. We, have also been able to support the building of a rehabilitation centre in Minna, Niger state and we hope to build more rehab centres for drug addicts because there are so many of them all over the country.

What is the association’s target?

There are no well-defined rehabilitation centres and we hope the association will support the relevant bodies, for example we want to see how we can collaborate with various women organisations to stimulate, create the awareness, invite school and give the topic for drug abuse because there are many addicts today including women.

We hope to collaborate with the first lady and government though we are not politicians but politicians and technocrats can combine with policies and make things better because they have the political will and we have the technical know-how.

When these two comes together it facilitates development and implementation of desired programmes and projects. We have had meetings with banks and they have programmes whereby they can support women with loans so that women can set up pharmacy shops, go into production and anything concerning drugs under the association of Lady Pharmacist and the bank is ready to support us and give us loans at a preferable and subsidised rate.
Drug abuse is a huge problem especially in the north where children are taking codeine, bennyline, snuff amongst other drugs. So, if we can catch them young and tell them the dangers of drug abuse it will be better for us all.

Do female pharmacists face any peculiar challenge?

There is the challenge of trying to get the ladies actively involved because some of them feel like ‘what will the association do for them’. But associations are not just created for nothing. Together you are stronger than a single individual, so I believe if we come together as a group we can fight the course of the girl-child.

I am appealing to lady pharmacists because we are over 7,000 and if we, in different state chapters, stand to do something even if it is drug awareness, a lot will be achieved.

What would say is responsible for recent increase in the rate of drug abuse youths and women?

The greatest factor that promotes drug abuse among youth is peer group influence. They are always curious and want to try everything and from trial they get hooked. Bennyline and codeine are drugs for cough but now even married women take it when they have problems with their husbands, and when you open their fridges you see it and they gurgle it like water, I think that it is a serious problem which must be stopped.

Internationally, there are organisations that have indicated interest to collaborate with us and we are trying to see how far we can go, and I know we will achieve a lot. We have been able to train some students to university level and in Benue the Lady Pharmacists have been able to support the girl child education. In very active states like Lagos and Port Harcourt the Lady Pharmacists do a lot of health programmes for the aged and youths and we could do better with support from government and relevant agencies.

Do you have any regrets?

If you have regrets and you believe in God, it can help you restructure, redefine and renew your ways. But whatever regrets one may have, God is in control.

What are your hobbies?

I like to go to the bush and see plants, look and talk to them. I love mixing herbs for people and sensitising them. I can mix from 10am to 6pm without getting tired.

Right now, I do local production and I meet experts who know the local names then I seek the scientific names and with my knowledge I have been doing well because I have gone to study and acquire more knowledge from China and Japan.

Nigeria may not have much technology but God has blessed us with natural things like tourism, agriculture, medicinal plants and so many others.
The Chinese were not so 50 years back but when they realised their potential they became a country to be reckoned with.

Do you think Nigeria can get to that level?

Yes, but with political will, believe in God, good leadership, good followership and determination we will get there.

What advice do you have for Nigerians especially women?

I say women be steadfast in all your dealings, be determined and work hard and with God on your side you will make it.
Be sincere and do not blackmail others to achieve your goals, follow your path, learn from those who had been on that path and God will bless you.

Source: Blue Print.

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