The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says the state has initiated a process to establish a drug manufacturing agency to promote access to quality drugs and consumables.

Abayomi disclosed this at the opening of the 7th Nigeria Pharma Manufacturers’ Expo in Lagos on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the biennial programme, jointly organised by PMG-MAN and GPE Expo PVT. Ltd is the largest exhibition of Central Africa and West Africa on complete pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The Expo, with the theme “Fostering Partnership and Innovation to unlock the Pharma Manufacturing Value Chain In Nigeria, Central and West Africa”, had 55 companies both from China and India, and 100 PMG-MAN members in attendance.

He said, ”The Lagos State Government is already writing a draft law on the drug management agency, it will be submitted to the cabinet and passed on to the Lagos Assembly.

“Many states have done it. We are left behind because we have so many industrial platforms in Lagos and Ogun states, and most of these drugs are produced in our vicinity.

“This will enable Lagos not only to promote local manufacturing, but to also promote the idea of total quality assurance, including random testing alongside NAFDAC, and form a collaboration with the private sector.”

He commended PMG-MAN for championing the drive to boost local production for drug sufficiency in the country.

The commissioner urged local producers to attain global best practices, adding that medicine security and national safety sufficiency were critical to our survival as a country.

“Today represents another of those occasions that you are making it clearly understood by all stakeholders and policymakers, that this is what you require to drive that local industry of self-sufficiency in the health sector and the pharmaceutical industry.

“In so doing, we must ensure that we’re not putting our citizens at risk because a substandard drug can result in severe morbidity, sickness or death,” he said.