My guide, an officer at the Library Information and Documentation Unit of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD, claimed that the institution still remains the most vibrant in the country, despite being one of the youngest amongst the coterie of research institutes in the nation today. He also claimed that although it is not immune to the ravages of time, it has remained a force to be reckoned with, possibly by a dint of good fortune or rather, by divine grace. The institute, which is located in Idu, one of the fastest growing suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is probably still one of those academic citadels that has been able to keep its head above water when other contemporaries are currently being submerged under a myriad of administrative and financial challenges.
The institute, which was established under the Science and Technology Act of 1980, has the lofty objective of developing drugs, biological products and pharmaceutical raw materials from indigenous resources. The thought pattern of its founding fathers was to build a viable institution that is capable of utilizing locally sourced materials, such as herbs, which are abundant in the country, to manufacture medicines that are capable of treating ailments which have hitherto been eradicated through the use of foreign brands of drugs. In concise terms, the institute is believed to be a foremost center of excellence in research and development of phyto-medicines, pharmaceutical and biological products, drugs which are to serve as effective diagnostics towards improving the health and well-being of Nigerians.
According to a statement by an official of the institute, the mission of the establishment included to built on the ‘application of appropriate modern scientific and technological resources to stimulate local production of drugs through effective collaboration with the industry and experts within and outside Nigeria; development of herbal and phytomedicines to pilot stage for commercialization; development of quality standards for phytomedicines, drugs and diagnostics for the purpose of control and regulation; provision of quality assurance services on all drugs used in the nation’s blossoming healthcare delivery sector and also the provision of safety data and essential information on herbal and other drugs towards achieving self-sufficiency in the production and control of essential drugs in such a way that would guarantee the overall health of Nigerians and mankind in general.’
A heavy burden backed by law
According to the guide, the institute was established in 1980 but eventually started activities in 1989. He added that a lot of responsibilities had been hung on the neck of the establishment, despite that some are being replicated in other government parastatals.
“The responsibilities of the institute are many, but I will enumerate the major ones. For one, it is set up principally to undertake research and development work on the appropriate use of drugs, biological products including vaccines and pharmaceutical raw materials, from indigenous natural resources and by the process of synthesis, use science and technology procedures to conduct appropriate investigations and consequent applications in the areas of evaluation, preservation, purification, standardization, safety and rational utilization of traditional medicine.”
He added that: “the institute also tries to develop methodologies for quality assessment of biological products, orthodox and herbal medicines, including their raw materials. It conducts research and development activities into pharmaceutical biotechnology, nutrition, cosmetics and environmental science for improved quality of human life and the conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants. It has equally established and operates a quality assurance laboratory for pharmaceutical raw materials and products. The institute serves as a reference centre for research work in the field of bio-pharmaceutics, pharmacokinetics, storage and stability of imported and locally manufactured drugs and biological products.”
Other duties according to him, include the promotion and sponsorship of local development and production of drugs, vaccines pharmaceutical machinery, devices and its accessories, the transfer of pharmaceutical products and machinery technologies to private sector industries and rendering of consultancy and extension services to such and other organizations, the patenting and registration of new products and processing of such with appropriate national bodies, international organizations, and selected countries and the establishment cum maintenance of relevant laboratories, clinics, medicinal plant gardens in strategic ecological zones of Nigeria which are necessary for the performance of the various functions.
The institute is also empowered by law to enter into commercial and other appropriate agreements with relevant national and multinational corporations, regarding the marketing and utilization of the institute’s products and services, liaising with higher institutions, government organizations, multinational bodies and other relevant establishments within and outside Nigeria in the pursuance of the mandate of the institute and the establishment and development of a sound drug information system, collation and utilization of relevant research information for drug manufacturing industries and research centers across the nation.
A bouquet of achievements
The guide is quick to point out a galaxy of strides made since the inception of the institute. He said that with quality leadership, the establishment has enjoyed over the years, and a willingness of the part of successive governments to aid research activities, the institute has been able to make some remarkable progress in the field of medicinal research and technological advancements.
He enthuses, “the drug most people are familiar with today called NICOSAN was developed by the institute. Today it is called NICOSAN, but it was initially known as NIPRISAN in recognition of the role the establishment played in its discovery.”
He explains further: “it is a prophylactic drug used in the treatment and management of sickle cell anemia. The medicine was developed from locally sourced materials, and has been judged as one of the best discoveries in the medical plane for quite a while. It has been formulated into capsules and in syrup form for easy use. In 2002, the commercial rights were transferred to a company called XECHEM International, and has already been patented in over 40 countries around the world. It is a great acknowledgement of the giant strides made at the institute. There are others however…”
“In the field of phytomedicines which the institute is generally known for, we have recorded some other successes. We have an anti-malaria phytomedicine which is in the process of standardization with the help of the World Health Organisation, WHO. The drug has been found not only to be highly useful, but it is one of the drugs that can be easily available from the use of a widely known plant. The discovery that takes the icing on the cake for me is probably the anti-HIV phytomedicine used as an immune modulator, for the management of HIV/AIDS patients. The drug is also sourced from locally available materials that have shown good laboratory safety and efficiency potentials. The discovery of these two products has greatly enhanced the health care status of Nigerians.
These are not the only products we have been able to initiate here though,” he brightly says.
He added that the institute has also produced two equally remarkable medicinal products that have been adjudged as effective in the management of some ailments. These include the anti-fungal agent and the anti-ulcer remedy which when finally commercialized, will prove useful to millions of sufferers of such ailments. “The anti-fungal agent is for the treatment and management of tropical infections and is obtained from plant extracts which are readily available for production into commercial quantities. The anti-ulcer agent are two brands of products developed which have been found to be effective in the treatment of peptic ulcer. The Raw Material Research and Development Council (RMRDC), is sponsoring the project which has been evaluated pharmacologically and microbiologically.”
Investigations also revealed that the institute is actively involved in the monitoring of fake and substandard drugs in the society and partners with NAFDAC and the NDLEA to curtail the spread of such harmful products in the nation. It is also involved in the mass production of pharmaceutical grade starch from local sources and the useful micro crystalline cellulose from elephant grass corn stalk.
In 1990, the institute embarked on the documentation of medicinal and aromatic plants within the federal capital territory, FCT. The data that was gathered during the ethno-botanical survey has been compiled into a national compendium of medicinal and aromatic plants in Nigeria. Presently, the institute is headed by Professor S. Gamaniel who superintends over a group of highly trained professionals of various disciplines in the medical terrain, with about 40% of the research fellows at the disposal of the institute holding PHDs in various fields and several others being MSc holders. Several interns, best brains in various medical institutions across the country are also employed by the institute to aid research activities.
The institute is currently demarcated into six prominent departments which are complementary in the arduous task of the formulation of locally made and affordable health care products for the use of Nigerians. They are the Medicinal Plant Research and Traditional Medicine unit, the Medicinal Chemistry and Quality Control unit, Pharmacology and Toxicology department and the Pharmaceutical Technology and Raw Materials Department. The last two are: the Microbiology, Human Virology and Biotechnology unit and the Administration and Finance department which takes care of the day to day running of the outfit.
Not yet Uhuru…
Despite the laudable achievements made by the institute, findings have revealed that much still need to be done if it is to remain at the forefront of research institutes in the country. A source at the institute who preferred anonymity, points out that funding remains a unique challenge to the continued good fortunes or otherwise of the institution. He maintain that except the government gives priority to the issue of adequate funding of its numerous research institutes, a return to the Dark Age may be imminent since research; through its innumerable offspring is an illuminating beacon that has helped many nations of the world emerge from the pit of ignorance and barbarism of the previous ages.
“It is a surprise that the institute is still standing as at today. It is a tribute to the resilience and determination of serial administrations that have held sway at the institute over the years. The former helmsman did a lot to ensure that the institute did not collapse. The present one is also following in the same stead. But the recurring cry is always that of inadequate funding and insincerity on the part of the government. Funding would go a long way in ensuring that research activities go on unimpeded at the institute. For now, most of the machinery we have at our laboratories are obsolete.
Imagine using the same instruments and machinery that was in vogue in the 70s in the modern form of research. Most of the laboratory equipments need to be changed and newer ones procured, the research grant also ought to increase rather than dwindle as our leaders here keep on complaining. With the way things are going in most research institutes around the country our constant fear is that things would degenerate as they have in other research institutes around the country,” he confides.
He also add that an industrial strike was averted through the efforts of ministry officials and the management team. “It took the determined efforts of the parent ministry before the strike action could be averted. The minister personally appealed to us not to go on strike as other research institutes have done.
We had to agree with him, although grudgingly, since we are mostly into medical research, and going on strike would have affected the country. But we eventually settled for a sympathy strike, which we called off only recently. That is to show you that workers are equally displeased over working conditions and want an improvement. We are totally in support of the industrial action in most institutes, and identify with them. We are also calling for better working conditions for workers, and improved funding for all institutes, including the formation of a neutral body that would see to the running of the various research institutes we have in Nigeria.” NIPRD collaborations investigations reveal that despite the noticeable downturn being experienced at the institute, it is involved in several collaborations at present which is aimed at increasing the productivity level at the institute.
The institute has established research and development partnerships with several international and local bodies to further the cause of its mandate. For instance, the institute has a partnership agreement with several research institutes across the globe in the area of training, laboratory infrastructure development, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and recruitment of Ph.D. Research Fellows in National Product Chemistry. The Howard University, Washington, U.S.A. collaborates with the institute in the area of capacity building through workshops and training of pharmacists on monitoring of anti-retrovirals (ARVs) usage. It also partners with Xechem Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd on the pilot scale extraction of numerous herbals. It allows fruitful engagements with several Nigerian universities in the area of undergraduate and postgraduate training and research partnerships.
Other collaborations include the one with the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) in the area of making NIPRD’s research activities industry-demand driven and private sector-funded. The Traditional Medicine Practitioners also collaborates with the establishment in the area of standardization of remedies and practices.
