The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) has called on pharmaceutical manufacturers to strengthen the industry through the development and adoption of standardization for the growth of the national economy.
Chief Executive Officer, SON, Mallam Farouk Salim made the call during his public lecture at Igbenedion University, Okada, Edo State on the topic: “The Impact of Standards on the Practice of the Pharmacist Profession” .
Salim noted that standards are very important for the survival of civil society, adding that standards were particularly crucial in the pharmaceutical sector, as pharmaceutical practice has zero tolerance for error.
“The standards enhance investments in African health trade and industry, as provided for in the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
“SON explored existing regional and national international standards to address the unique challenges facing African commerce, including the pharmaceutical sector.
“SON, as a member of the African Standards Organization (ARSO), is spearheading and actively participating in the harmonization of a number of African pharmaceutical standards.
“This includes ARSO/TC 78 for medical devices and equipment, TC 80 on pharmaceuticals and medical products and TC 82 on traditional African medicine.
“In line with the World Health Organization (WHO) Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 to strengthen the knowledge base and formulate national policies, SON, in collaboration with ARSO, has developed more than 10 standards on traditional African medicine for use in Nigeria,” he said. said.
HIS CEO said the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry’s target of supplying 60% of the pharmaceuticals consumed by West African countries was largely dependent on regulatory requirements, required by their marketing authorization.
“In order to effectively fulfill its mandate and promote the standards required to ensure the safety of goods and services in the country and compliance with international trade requirements, SON follows a well-planned procedure to establish standards.
“Standards are also applied in the pharmaceutical industry to ensure the strength of quality and purity of active ingredients in drugs and other pharmaceuticals.
“It ensures safe and effective products for patients and forms the basis of regulatory requirements for industrial practice that ensures quality throughout the entire drug production chain through to distribution,” he said.
Salim reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to work with relevant authorities such as the National Agency for Food, Drugs, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and others for the approval of standards of more traditional medicine.
For his part, the Vice-Chancellor of Igbenedion University, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, noted that the pharmacy profession plays a vital role in providing care and helping people maintain, improve their health, safety and their well-being.
Ezemonye said the profession could improve the quality of care it provides by meeting education and training standards, registration to practice, code of conduct, among others.
The VC revealed that the university recently received accreditation for the Bachelor of Pharmacy program by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria and the National Universities Commission with the first round of admissions in the 2022/2023 session.
“It is instructive that this event signals our commitment to school engagement and community service aimed at strengthening our relationship with society through the
According to Professor Ighodaro Igbe, Dean of the College of Pharmacy, the idea of a public lecture has become imperative, first as an integral part of the academic tradition of the college to generate discourses on relevant issues in Nigeria today. today.
“Second, it’s an opportunity for universities to engage with government. businesses and the public to inform and educate the community by leading open discussions on the issues facing our nation, our region and the world.
“It is against this backdrop that today’s conference topic has been carefully crafted to capture the concerns of stakeholders.
“The Professional Practice Standards (PPS) aim to provide guidance on the standards of professional behavior expected of pharmacists towards individuals, the community and society,” he emphasized.
