Nigeria Pharma Expo to address local manufacturing, medicine security

The fifth Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ Expo 2019 (NPME 2019) is set to address development of local manufacturing and production of high quality, safe and affordable medicines in the country.

The NPME is billed to hold from August 28-29, at New Haven, Oba Akinjobi Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, and is expected to attract approximately 200 International Pharma Machineries Exhibition Companies from six countries with nearly 10,000 pharma and related sectors, trade professionals from across the region and approximately 150 Nigerian Exhibitors.

Chairman of the NPME 2019 Expo Committee, Dr. Fidelis Ayebae, stated this during a press conference at the PMG-MAN House at Osolo way, Ajao Estate Lagos, to herald the event, which is the biggest international pharma-manufacturing exhibition in central and West Africa.

According to Ayebae, the theme of this year’s edition, which is: ‘Strategic Collaboration for Medicine Security, Affordability and National Sufficiency’, is carefully chosen to speak to the challenges of access to medicine and reflects on strategy to attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 3, 8 and 9.

He said with strategic collaborations with local and International partners, the country can reverse the trend of 70%:30% ratio of medicine importation against local manufacturing.

Ayebae said the Pharma Expo Exhibition is in partnership with GPE EXPO PVT India as it will focus on pharmaceutical machineries and equipment, and most recently allied products in pharmaceutical Industries.

He said the objectives of the expo is to create a platform for pharma stakeholders’ collaboration and engagement that will enable the upgrade and update of pharma manufacturing technologies in West and Central Africa, as well as encourage further development of local manufacturing capacity and production of high quality, safe and affordable medicines.

The focal points and highlights of the event include:
*Special buyers – seller sessions that will bring together over 500 pharma and allied products manufacturing companies in close business discussions to generate an active business relationship.

*Technical symposia will highlight discussions on most recent cutting-edge technologies and practices.

*Understanding the Nigerian and other African countries regulatory environment where key industry regulators participate.

*PMG-MAN guided visits to factories- Exhibitors wishing to visit factories or organizations for business networking receives a guide from PMG-MAN team.

The focus industry includes: Pharma Manufacturing Industry, Allied Industries (Biotech, Nutraceuticals, cosmetics, beverages, food and distillers), Packaging Machineries, API- Lab Reagents and Equipment’s and Utility Products and Services.

Ayebae directed participants to register for the event by visiting www.nigeriapharmaexpo.com or PMG-MAN secretariat or www.pmgman for detailed information, noting that the benefit of attending the event is enormous.

Meanwhile the committee members stressed the need for supporting local manufacturing, which would help curtail the influx of fake and substandard medicines in Nigeria.

One of the members, who is the chairman and managing director, Orfema Pharmaceuticals Industry Limited, Orimadegun Agboade called for the ban of essential medicines into the country, which he said would stop the importation of fake drugs circulating across the nation.

He also charged the government to initiate the Pharma fund to support local manufacturers and boost the economy.