High energy cost, forex, 33% interest rates threaten drug manufacturing – May & Baker MD
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Pharm. Patrick Ajah, has said the company’s monthly spending on energy to power its factory has risen from about N65 million before 2023 to between N160 million and N175 million, highlighting the rising cost of manufacturing in Nigeria. Ajah, said the increase…
Glaucoma responsible for about 25% of blindness, says Dr Festus Oshoba
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ladkem Eye Hospital, Dr Festus Oshoba, has warned that glaucoma accounts for about 25 per cent of blindness and often causes irreversible vision loss before patients become aware of the disease. Oshoba, who described glaucoma as the “thief of vision,” said the condition usually progresses without pain, redness…
Climate change exposes 560 million children to dangerous heat, study finds
Human-induced climate change is exposing up to 560 million children aged between zero and nine years to at least one additional month of dangerous heat every year, with children in South Asia, Southeast Asia and West Africa among the worst affected, a new global study has found. The research, led by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)…
Over 200 await corneal transplants in Nigeria — Eye Bank
More than 200 Nigerians are currently awaiting corneal transplants as about 1.5 per cent of the country’s population live with corneal blindness, the Eye Bank for Restoring Sight in Nigeria has said. The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Eye Bank, Dr Festus Odunayo Oshoba, disclosed this recently in Lagos at the unveiling…
Pharmaceutical firms spend up to ₦175m monthly on power — May & Baker CEO
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of May & Baker Nigeria Plc, Pharm. Patrick Ajah, has called for stronger government support for local pharmaceutical manufacturers, warning that rising production costs, high interest rates, infrastructure gaps and brain drain are threatening the sector. Ajah said the company’s monthly expenditure on power had risen from about…
Pharmaceutical manufacturers seek lower energy Costs, stronger API policies to boost local drug production
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) has urged the Federal Government to reduce energy costs and strengthen policies supporting local production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to accelerate Nigeria’s drive towards medicine security. The group said high energy costs and delays in clearing pharmaceutical inputs were undermining the competitiveness of…
Lagos to expand specialist healthcare capacity with Ojo, Somolu hospital projects
The Lagos State Government says it is expanding access to specialised healthcare with the construction of new hospital facilities in Ojo and Somolu, as the 280-bed Ojo General Hospital nears completion and a new 180-bed hospital takes shape in Somolu. The Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this on Friday during an inspection of…
ACPN warns Nigeria’s drug supply faces threat as over 9,500 pharmacists leave country
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on the Federal and state governments to provide stronger financial and institutional support for community pharmacies to help reduce the cost of essential medicines and expand access to healthcare. The association made the demand at its 45th Annual National Scientific Conference, held in Abuja from…
Hepatitis B: 18.2m Nigerians living with chronic infection as screening gaps persist
For 247 residents of Mushin, Lagos, a free community health screening offered something more valuable than routine medical checks: the opportunity to know whether they were living with hepatitis B without knowing it. The turnout at the community screening programme organised by Cerba Lancet Nigeria in partnership with Mushin Local Government Area was higher than…
Community pharmacists seek government support to cut cost of essential medicines
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on the Federal and state governments to provide stronger financial and institutional support for community pharmacies to help reduce the cost of essential medicines and expand access to healthcare. The association made the demand at its 45th Annual National Scientific Conference, held in Abuja from…