The Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Lagos, will today Tuesday, May 28, 2024, hold its maiden annual seminar and the commissioning of the MedAfrica GMP Laboratory at the Faculty of Pharmacy.

The event which will be taking place at Old Great Hall, College of Medicine, Idi-Araba is scheduled to start by 11am.

The theme is “Academia/Industry Collaboration: A case for purpose driven research through product development in line with CGMPS specification.”

The GMP Lab will be commissioned by the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola; President and founder of MedAfrica Foundation USA, Mr. Marty Jeiven; and the Acting-Head of Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology, Dr. Margaret Ilomuanya, among other dignitaries.

The first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa, the MedAfrica GMP Lab is a high-tech facility that will guarantee that all pharmaceutical products manufactured in Nigeria adhere to the highest quality standards before they are marketed for general use. Dr. Ilomuanya said the lab will facilitate collaboration between pharmaceutical industries and the academia in innovative drug research and production.

“Equivocally, I want to say that this is the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa,” Dr. Ilomuanya stated. “There is no university in sub-Saharan Africa that can boast of a GMP-compliant facility. “Pharmaceutical industries can work with the academia to solve problems such as making medicines more bio-available, or taking herbal medicines to forms that can compete with conventional medicines.”

An acronym for Good Manufacturing Process, GMP is a system of protocols that regulates products, people, processes, procedures, and premises for drug manufacturing. With the GMP lab, pharmaceutical companies will be mandated to adhere to standardized processes for product manufacturing, testing, validation, documentation, personnel qualification, and material quality.

Ilomuanya revealed that drug companies that implement GMP protocols comply with international standards and associated legal requirements, enjoy improved productivity and profitability, avoid the incidents of product seizures and recall, and enjoy mitigated medical risks in marketed pharmaceutical products.

For the maiden departmental annual seminar series to be conducted alongside the GMP lab commissioning, the theme is Academia/Industry Collaboration; A Case for Purpose-Driven Research through Product Development in Line with cGMP Specifications. The keynote speakers are Prof. Olobayo Kunle of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD); and Pharm. Kenneth Chinedu Onuegbu, National Chairman, Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP).

Other dignitaries expected at the seminar include Prof. Cyril Odianose Usifo, President of PSN; Pharm. Ibrahim Ahmed, Registrar of PSN; Pharm. Alhaji Yakassai; Pharm. Sir Ike Onyechi; Prof. Chinedum Babalola, Vice-Chancellor of Chrisland University, Abeokuta; among others.