…As NAPHARM inducts 20 new Fellows
By Sola Ogundipe
The Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, NAPHARM, wants pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists and medical professionals in Nigeria to tap into Artificial Intelligence, AI, in a bid to enhance pharmaceutical research and the discovery of new and better drugs and medicines in the country.
Making the call in Lagos during the investiture of 20 new Fellows of the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, NAPHARM, former minister of health, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, called for the creation of an enabling environment that would make meaningful research development possible.
Lauding the global progress in the areas of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning and the benefits therein for Nigeria, Adelusi-Adeluyi, who is the President of the Academy said the government of Nigeria must continue to think outside the box to increasingly take advantage of the revolution in the new digital phenomenon.
His words, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) is helping to make pharmaceutical research and new drug discovery less expensive and definitely more productive. Researchers realise that in the time that it would have taken to test the efficacy of say a handful of chemical molecules manually, with AI, it is possible to test several hundreds of different chemical molecules.
“With AI, therefore, we can create better, safer, and more affordable medicines, within a much shorter time frame too. In addition to helping to ensure that basic facilities, including clean water and electricity, are available, government policy direction must also be such that deliberately enables AI to take root and grow,” he added.
He emphasised the need for Nigeria to commit to producing active manufacturing ingredients (API) for drug manufacturing, given the vast hydrocarbon resources that it is endowed with, rather than continued reliance on the importation of the same raw materials.
On political leadership, he said: “Pharmacists need to enlighten the political leadership, including today’s presidential aspirants on this issue and painstakingly interrogate them on their plans for utilizing Nigeria’s oil and gas deposits.
“The political leadership needs to better appreciate why a petrochemical industry is critical to Nigeria and pharmacists have a role not only to continue to drive this enlightenment but also participate actively in the electoral process,” he said.
Speaking on reforms in the health sector, in his presentation titled, “Advancing Pharmacy for Economy Prosperity Nigeria,” President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria Professor Cyril Usifoh, said the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, should not be a revenue-generating agency, as it would make the prices of drugs and medicines to soar.
Speaking on behalf of the newly inducted members, Senator Sadiq Umar, a pharmacist, said that the inductees who are drawn from different spheres of endeavour have particular responsibilities towards the Academy and the pharmacy profession and urged the Academy to do the best they can to reposition the profession. He commended the Academy and pharmacists in Nigeria for the major role they play in ensuring the safety of Nigerian citizens.
The high point of the occasion was the formal induction of 20 leading pharmacists into the Academy.
Notable among them is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) of the University of Benin, Professor Ray Ozolua; Managing Director of GSK Nigeria, Kunle Oyelana; Managing Director, Medplus Pharmacy Chain, Joke Bakare; Executive Director, the Nett Pharmacy Chain, Chris Ehimen; and Registrar of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Babashehu Ahmed.
Also inducted as an honorary Fellow of the Academy was a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and proprietor of Afe Babalola University, Chief Afe Babalola.
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