For most nations of the world to achieve Universal Health Coverage and to save a total of 3.7 million lives by 2025, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged governments of all countries to invest heavily in nutrition and focus on optimum nutrition at each stage of life.
The number one health institution in the world noted on Wednesday that health services must integrate a stronger focus on ensuring optimum nutrition as it is estimated that the right investment in nutrition could save 3.7 million lives by 2025.
In a press statement released by the agency, key interventions areas in nutrition include: providing iron and folic acid supplements as part of antenatal care; delaying umbilical cord clamping to ensure babies receive important nutrients they need after birth; promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding; providing advice on diet such as limiting the intake of free sugars in adults and children and limiting salt intake to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
For most nations of the world to achieve Universal Health Coverage and to save a total of 3.7 million lives by 2025, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged governments of all countries to invest heavily in nutrition and focus on optimum nutrition at each stage of life.
According to the Assistant Director General at WHO, Dr Naoko Yamamoto: “In order to provide quality health services and achieve Universal Health Coverage, nutrition should be positioned as one of the cornerstones of essential health packages. We also need better food environments which allow all people to consume healthy diets.”
The document stressed the importance of investing in nutrition stating that the actions will help countries get closer to their goal of achieving universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. It can also help the economy, with every US$1 spent by donors on basic nutrition programmes returning US$ 16 to the local economy.
It reads in part: “The world has made progress in nutrition but major challenges still exist. There has been a global decline in stunting (low height-for-age ratio): between 1990 and 2018, the prevalence of stunting in children aged under 5 years declined from 39.2% to 21.9%, or from 252.5 million to 149.0 million children, though progress has been much slower in Africa and South-East Asia.
“Obesity, however, is on the rise. The prevalence of children considered overweight rose from 4.8% to 5.9% between 1990 and 2018, an increase of over 9 million children. Adult overweight and obesity are also rising in nearly every region and country, with 1.3 billion people overweight in 2016, of which 650 million (13% of the world’s population) are obese.
“Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes; cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke); musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis – a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints); and some cancers (including endometrial, breast, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, and colon).
“An increased focus on nutrition by the health services is key to addressing both aspects of the “double-burden” of malnutrition. The Essential Nutrition Actions publication is a compilation of nutrition actions to address this “double burden” of underweight and overweight and provide a tool for countries to integrate nutrition interventions into their national health and development policies”, it stated.
It was a beehive of activities at Atrium Event Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, venue of the official commissioning of Omron M7 intelli IT.
The colourful launch which was jointly held by Omron Healthcare in collaboration with New Heights Pharmaceuticals took place on 13 August 2019 and attracted a horde of health professionals ranging from cardiologists, physicians, pharmacists, nurses, lab scientists and medical equipment distributors.
Addressing journalists at the event, Pharm. Ebenezer Olayinka, marketing manager, New Heights Pharmaceuticals explained that the new product – Omron M7 Intelli IT – is the latest cutting edge innovation in blood pressure monitoring.
“Among other things, it has the capacity to sync your readings to your smartphone in such a way that you can easily track your results and monitor its progress by turning the results into meaningful graphs.
L-R: Felix Anyanwu, national sales manager, New Heights Pharmaceuticals; Pharm. Ebenezer Olayinka, marketing manager, New Heights Pharmaceuticals; Pharm. (Mrs) Victoria Ukwu, director of pharmaceutical services and head of Pharmacy department, University of Port Harcourt (UPTH); Pharm. Ukah Igwe, managing director of Famatex Pharma and chief launcher of the occasion; Pharm. Chima Ogbu, chairman, Rivers PSN (4th from right) and Pharm. (Mrs) Agbomma Esom-Ibe, chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Rivers State branch (extreme right) shortly after the product was unveiled.
“It can also share the data via email to your healthcare professionals. What this simply connote is that you are in control of this new Intelli Wrap Cuff technology which assures consistent accuracy from any position around your upper arm,” he noted.
An excited Olayinka further disclosed that the Omron Connect is portable, simple and can easily connect with any iPhone or Android and is readily available in leading pharmacies nationwide.
Applauding the event, Pharm. Chima Ogbu, chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Rivers chapter remarked the Port Harcourt launch of Omron M7 Intelli IT was a huge success.
Speaking with Pharmanews, Ogbu revealed that the product was well received by pharmacists in Rivers State given its advanced features and improved reliability in cardiovascular screening.
“We appreciate New Heights Pharma and Omron for bringing this state of the art equipment home to Rivers State practitioners. It can only get better,” he said.
(Left) Pharm. Ukah Igwe, managing director of Famatex Pharma and chief launcher of the occasion commissioning the new Omron M7 intelli IT in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
In a related development, Pharm. (Mrs) Agbomma Esom-Ibe, chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Rivers branch has described the launch of the M7 Intel IT as an amazing experience.
“The device will give both the healthcare practitioner and the patient a “wow” experience. It is a device that elicits trust from the patient and builds the confidence of healthcare practitioners.
“We feel honoured that the first launch of the product took place in Port Harcourt. New Heights Pharma has developed a reputation over the years for providing good devices back to back,” she teased.
Pharm. Ukah Igwe, managing director of Famatex Pharma and chief launcher of the occasion seemed to be in agreement with her when he remarked that Omron M7 Inteli IT has now made it easy for physicians to monitor and assess patients’ progress from remote locations through mobile telephony.
“Surely the Omron devices are useful products for the average home because it tries to eliminate the incidence of White Coat Hypertension and provides the patient a regular check on the blood pressure outside of physician visit”, he stressed.
The Famatex boss declared that he is eager to see the impact of the devices especially in the area of improved control of high blood pressure among the Nigerian masses and subsequent reduction of the end organ damage that usually results from hypertension like strokes, arteriosclerosis, myocardial infarctions, and kidney failure.
After a brief presentation on cardiovascular diseases conducted by Dr Maclean Akpa, consultant physician and cardiologist, University of Port Harcourt (UPTH), the Omron products were formally unveiled amidst a thunderous ovation from the appreciative audience.
Other dignitaries in attendance included Pharm. (Mrs) Victoria Ukwu, director of pharmaceutical services and head of Pharmacy department, University of Port Harcourt (UPTH); Felix Anyanwu, national sales manager, New Heights Pharmaceuticals and Pharm. Ebenezer Olayinka, marketing manager, New Heights Pharmaceuticals.
It would be recalled that New Heights Pharmaceuticals once made a donation of several similar blood pressure monitoring devices worth N1.4m to the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board in commemoration of the 2013 World Health Day celebration.
The gesture was well applauded in the health sector and further received a rave review in the Nigerian media.
A Warri-based Pediatrician, Ovo Ogbinaka, on Tuesday in Benin cautioned against excessive consumption of cold water due to its adverse effects on human health.
Mr Ogbinaka, who gave the caution in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), urged young people to avoid excessive drinking of cold water to protect their hearts from damage.
“Excessive cold water consumption can cause the closure of four veins, and in the process lead to heart attack.
Glasses of cold water
“It can create problems in the liver, make fats to stick in the liver and affect the large intestine which on its own can result in cancer,” he said.
Ogbinaka advised that people should drink normal temperature water to avoid complications at old age.
According to the medical doctor, the effect may be gradual, it is capable of catching up with the person at old age.
Ogbinaka said that cold water could make the blood vessels to shrink thereby causing indigestion.
“Drinking cold water can cause the food we consume not to digest properly, meaning that nutrients won’t get absorbed by the body the way they should,” he said.(NAN)
There is hardly a day that passes without a fresh news report about someone somewhere who committed suicide or another who was caught while attempting the act. If the World Health Organisation (WHO) proclamations can be referred to, that a suicide death occurs every 40 seconds globally, then before I am through with the third line of this write up maybe no fewer than two people would have committed the act somewhere in the world.
Despite the fact that suicide cases are underreported, about one million suicide deaths occur every year on the average globally, which is estimated to rise to about 1.5 million by year 2020. Going by some of the data revealed by the Suicide Research & Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (SURPIN), Dr Emeka Ogbolu, a consultant Psychiatrist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and key stakeholder at SURPIN, has stated that suicide prevalence among young Nigerians within the age bracket of 20 and 39 is around 75. However, even more disturbing besides the suicide act itself is the copycat effect of suicide on its prospective victims.
Dealing with suicide the “write” way
Contrary to some schools of thought, I do not think its appropriate to criminalise the act itself because, fundamentally, whoever is contemplating committing suicide is not mentally healthy. Simply put, it’s a mental health challenge, and such people need help. However, the approach to curbing this act has rather been more of a kneejack rather than tackling the challenge from the root causes before spiraling into full blown suicide act.
In recent times, the decision of the government has been to ban some products or substances which have been identified as the “go-to” substances, as it were, for a fast ride to the suicide world. But, the question is, would that be a lasting solution to this? Would this scarcity not create a lacuna so strong that another “go-to” substance is discovered to take prospective victims on that suicide journey?
If it becomes commonplace that most suicide victims die by jumping into the water under the third mainland bridge, would the best option be to dry up the water so that whoever is getting suicidal would not jump inside it?
Perhaps one major approach which has helped two countries with a very large population like India and China from a February 7th 2019 report is a combination of suicide prevention activities. These activities are of concern in the article. How can we drastically reduce the figures, as China dropped the suicide rate up between the 1990s and 2016?
We should get one thing very clear, suicide is a journey most of its victims got into long before they decided to commit the act itself. They had been dying progressively without many noticing. These days, we spend much more time asking Google questions we can even ask one another as an avenue to foster good fellowship. There are quite a number of cues which are more of redflags that should have been noticed by friends or loved ones around these “prospects” well ahead of time which could have sufficiently aborted the process but the real challenge is that how many out there can suffiently identify these red flags wherever they appear – be it on social media posts, physical appearances or even in the handwriting?
Are there traits in the handwriting of people that are red flags to the propensity of terminating one’s life? Watch out for the next edition, you don’t want to miss the concluding part of this article. Till I come your way next time, always remember that if you must get it right, you must do it the “write” way, “write” away.
Are you facing difficulties in trying to locate manufacturers of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria? Or perhaps, this is your first time in the country, and you need information about pharmaceutical manufacturers, search no longer as we are here to give you a full list of all pharmaceutical manufacturers in Nigeria.
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), umbrella organisation for manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and allied products in Nigeria; was launched by the Federal Minister of Health on the 24 October 1984, with twenty (20) foundation members.
Membership of the association is open to any pharmaceutical company established in the country that has and utilises local manufacturing facilities for the production of drugs and medicines from local and imported raw materials. Members before admission are expected to uphold the tenet of Good Manufacturing Practices, and must satisfy the standard of the association after necessary inspection.
Consolidating on the gains of the last five years, the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has once again inducted 29 fresh graduates into the pharmacy profession.
The 4th induction and oath-taking ceremony which held on 30 August 2019 attracted eminent pharmacists, members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (Kwara chapter), Fellows of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), medical officials from the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), academic staff of the school, parents and several pharmacists in academia.
L-R: Yusuf Abdulganiy, overall best graduating student receiving the PSN Prize from Pharm. Bakau Alli, chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (Kwara Chapter) while Dr Olushola Aremu, acting dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharm. Gbenga Falabi, keynote speaker look on.
In his opening address, Dr Olushola Aremu, acting dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences explained that since inception in 2010, UNILORIN’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has witnessed tremendous growth both in terms of physical infrastructure, quality teaching and non-teaching staff.
“Our admission quota has also increased from 10 students in the 2010/2011 academic session to 60 in the 2018/2019 academic session,” he noted.
Speaking further, the acting dean disclosed that curricula for post graduate programme in four departments in the faculty have been approved by the UNILORIN senate.
They included Master of Science Programmes in Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics and Industrial Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Administration as well as Pharmacology and Taxicology.
R-L: Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, vice chancellor, UNILORIN; Olayinka Buhari, deputy vice chancellor (research, training and innovation); Dr Anthony Idoko, PCN representative and Dr Olushola Aremu, acting dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the last induction /oath-taking ceremony.
“Let me use this occasion to thank the vice- chancellor and members of his team for the continuous support of pharmacy programme in UNILORIN,” he expressed.
According to Aremu, the unflinching support being extended to the faculty was what propelled the immediate past president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) to confer an honorary membership of the society on him (with Award of Excellence) at the annual conference in Ibadan (Oluyole 2018).
In a related development, Prof. Sulyman Abdulkareem, vice-chancellor, UNILORIN has urged the new pharmacists not to let the school down by being good ambassadors of the institution.
Abdulkareem bemoaned the manner in which quacks have been allowed to infiltrate the pharmaceutical sector and admonished the new pharmacists to uphold the tenets of the profession by shunning all vices.
“UNILORIN is the guiding light of excellence among Nigerian universities. You need to make good use of your mandatory one-year service (NYSC) and continuously update your training in line with current trend,” he charged.
The vice-chancellor also applauded the deans (present and past especially Prof Philip Olurinola), heads of departments and academic staff of the faculty for playing their role well.
Warning the graduands against professional misconduct, Pharm N.A.E Mohammed, registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (represented by Dr Anthony Idoko) stressed that perpetrators of such ignoble act would be referred to the PCN disciplinary tribunal which has the status of Federal High Court in Nigeria.
“If you are found guilty, sentences such as removal of such pharmacist(s) name(s) from the pharmaceutical register for a given period could be passed.
“This is why you are expected to keep off from the Register-and-Go syndrome which has tarnished the image of pharmacists and has brought the profession to ridicule,” he cautioned.
Shortly after the 29 pharmacy graduates took their oath, Yusuf Abdulganiy, the overall best graduating student was called up to pick his prizes. Among other things, the young brain clinched four categories of awards namely PCN Registrar’s Prize, PSN (Kwara Chapter) Prize, Late Prof. Abdulkarim Agunu Memorial Prize and WAPCP Fellows’ (Kwara / Kogi Branches) Prize.
Other prize winners included Aishat Alaran and Oluwatomi Odunola who both won the Lubcon Award for Best Graduate in Pharmacy Management and Okpaleke Foundation Award for Best Graduating Student in Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice respectively.
Other dignitaries in attendance were Pharm. Gbenga Falabi, keynote speaker; Pharm. Susan Ayetoro, zonal coordinator, WAPCP Fellows; Dr L. O. Odeigah, deputy chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (C-MAC Clincal), Dr Mohammed Amali, sub dean of the faculty; Hakeem Sonde, bursar, UNILORIN and Pharm. Bakau Alli, chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (Kwara Chapter).
The management of Bond Chemical Industries Limited was excited on Friday to receive foreign researchers from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, United States, to discuss ways of partnering on some of their brands, especially on Oxyurea, her brand of hydroxyurea for the management of Sickle Cell disease (SCD) in Nigeria.
The working visit, which was in two part, saw the researchers through a meeting at the Bond Chemical Industries corporate head office, Mushin, Lagos, after which they had a stopover at the National Agency for Food and Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Isolo, Lagos, for a strategic meeting with some NAFDAC senior officials.
L-R:Pharm. S.O Oludepo,national sales manager,Bond Chemical Industries; Pharm. C.O Adeboye, plant manager, Bond Chemical Industries; Prof. Michael R. Debaun, founder and director, Vanderbilt-Meharry Centre of Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease, Department of Paediatrics(front); Dr Malcom Debaun (behind); Mr Andrew Aina, national marketing manager, Bond Chemical Industries; Chief Adebowale Omotosho, chairman, Bond Chemical Industries; and Prof. Adetdla Kasim; during the visit to NAFDAC’s office, Isolo, Lagos.
Leading the team from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Professor of Paediatrics and Medicine, Michael R. Debaun, expressed their delight to visit the management team of Bond Chemical Industries Limited in Nigeria, for the unique position they occupy as the manufacturer of the only NAFDAC approved hydroxyurea brand in Nigeria.
He noted that with Bond Chemical Industries as the manufacturer of the only NAFDAC approved hydroxyurea brand and other pharmaceutical products of high quality in Nigeria, they are critical to the strategy the Vanderbilt University team wants to employ to care for children and adults with the disease. “Oxyurea is a lifesaving medicine in the management of SCD worldwide”.
L-R: Dr Seye Akinsete; Mr Andrew Aina, national marketing manager, Bond Chemical Industries; Dr Malcom Debaun; Prof. Adetdla Kasim; Prof. Michael R. Debaun, founder and director, Vanderbilt-Meharry Centre of Excellence in Sickle Cell Disease, Department of Paediatrics, U.S; Pharm. C.O Adeboye, plant manager, Bond Chemical Industries; and Pharm. S.O Oludepo, national sales manager, Bond Chemical Industries, during the visit.
The United States Professor of Paediatrics, also disclosed to Pharmanewsonline in a chat during the visit that they have also discovered a gap between the period a patient is taken to India for transplant and when he returns to Nigeria.
“Many times when children are taken to India for SCD treatment and most times, children that receive transplant are often undertreated for immuno-suppressive agent. Instead of receiving immunosuppression for one year, they may actually receive it for six months, which is not best for them. We think it is appropriate for Nigerians to produce their own immunosuppressant, and Bond Chemical Industries is in the best position to do this assignment”, he stated.
For Pharm. C.O Adeboye, plant manager, Bond Chemical Industries, the visit of the international scientists was very apt in such a time like this, when millions of Nigerians are not aware of the great effort put together by the pharmaceutical company in reducing the burden of SCD.
He also narrated some of the challenges faced in the management of SCD in Nigeria, where there are several wrong treatments for SCD, which threaten the lives of patients. “A lot of what is done now is that patients only visit the hospital for prescription when they have crisis, and a lot of obsolete treatment methods are applied such as the use of folic acid with paludrine or other herbal products that we know have no efficacy”.
Adeboye therefore urged all caregivers to adopt Oxyurea in the management of SCD, because it is safe in children and adults.
To aid surgical and healing process in patients, Brookes Pharmaceuticals – a Pakistan-based pharma company, in collaboration with Pharmaplus Nigeria Limited, has unveiled Pyodine range of antiseptics into the Nigerian pharma market.
The unveiled products included Pyodine Solution (60ml & 450ml), Pyodine Surgical Scrub, Pyodine Gargle & Mouth Wash (for oral & throat care) and Pyodine Gel.
The colourful ceremony, which took place at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, on 30 July, 2019, had eminent pharmacists, nurses, doctors and several dignitaries in attendance.
In his welcome remark at the event, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, managing director, Pharmaplus Nigeria Limited, explained that, as a past president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), he understands the importance of safety and quality assurance.
L-R: Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, managing director, Pharmanews Limited; Major Gen. Waqar Ahmad Kingravi (rtd), high commissioner of Pakistan to Nigeria; Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, managing director, Pharmaplus Nigeria Limited; and Adnan Ali Khan, director, global business, Brookes Pharmaceuticals, at the launch.
“It is not only about quality, the safety of patients should be utmost in the mind of every health worker,” he said.
Yakasai, who is fondly called “Consul-General of Pakistan in Nigeria,” disclosed that his attention was drawn to the quality of pharmaceuticals in Pakistan by the late Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Dora Akunyili.
“With that in mind, I can confidently tell you that there is no better product range presently in the market than Pyodine. It is a broad spectrum antiseptic for wound care,” he stressed.
In his address, Major Gen. Waqar Ahmad Kingravi (retd), high commissioner of Pakistan to Nigeria, congratulated both companies doing the unveiling, adding that in the whole of Pakistan, Brookes Pharma stands out as a leader in producing premium and affordable antiseptics.
“Beyond that, Pakistan is a vibrant country that boasts of great pharma companies. The industry is open for collaboration, deliberation and cooperation with pharma companies in Nigeria.
“Once again, I congratulate Yakasai and Brookes on this novel products unveiling and wish them all the best,” Kingravi remarked.
Appreciating the audience, Adnan Ali Khan, director, global business, Brookes Pharmaceuticals, announced that he was pleased to visit Nigeria whose pharma industry he admires so much.
“We are proud to be the brand leader in the antiseptic market, with our dedicated and fully automated manufacturing facility. If you ask me, I would say our brand is known more than our company in almost all private, public and government hospitals,” he enthused.
While reiterating that Brookes is into management of chronic wounds treatment, the director also declared that his company welcomes constructive criticism, suggestion and direction on ways to improve on the brands.
Apparently impressed with the product launch, Pharm. Anthony Oyawole, former PSN presidential aspirant, opined that he hoped the quality be sustained.
“In attestation of Yakasai’s vision of quality pharmaceutical service, He has come to demonstrate it. One thing is preaching, another is practising it. Indeed, he is a man of his word,” he declared.
In a related development, Santosh Kumar, managing director, Worldwide Commercial Ventures (WWCV) has announced that he is proud to be associated with Yakasai and Brookes Pharma.
“WWCV has a track record of distributing top quality products over the years and we have no doubt that Pyrodine will do well,” he said.
Pharm. Chibuzor Opara, co-founder, DrugStoc Nigeria Limited, seemed to be in agreement with this view.
In his words, “We are quite excited about the products after our findings from the research we carried out. I think Brookes has done well. I want to thank Yakasai and WWCV for getting it across to Nigerians. The industry will benefit a lot from it.”
Additionally, Pharm. Margaret Obono, director of pharmacy and head of pharmacy department, National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi has endorsed the newly unveiled products.
She said, “As a hospital pharmacist, most antiseptic products you see around are so expensive. The affordable ones we had in the past also disappeared after sometime.
“When I heard about these products through Yakasai, I was happy because he has pedigree and integrity. That is why I came here today with the nursing head of the orthopaedic hospital.”
Other dignitaries in attendance included Pharm. Ade Popoola, managing director, Reals Pharmaceuticals; Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, managing director, Pharmanews Limited; Adham Yehia, co-founder, DrugStoc Nigeria Limited; Dr Arif Siddiqui, advisor on regulatory & marketing affairs, Brookes Pharma; Sandar Rahin, assistant secretary, commercial, Pakistan High Commission and Tahir Abbas, commercial secretary, Pakistan High Commission.
Brookes Pharma began with the establishment of a nascent pharmaceutical company based on a philosophy that regarded quality as the highest value in 1986.
It started out with production of injectible products – a segment that needs great sophistication of equipment and expertise. Brookes was also the first pharmaceutical of Pakistan to introduce research novelties for treatment of liver related diseases.
The pharmaceutical giant is equally the foremost national company to have 4 international certifications including ISO-9001, ISO-14001, ISO-17025, OHSAS-18001 certifications. Aside maintaining a world class standard of quality in operations, it has continually expanded its portfolio with timely introduction of new molecules.
Today, Brookes’ products are available in top pharmacies in Sri Lanka, Kenya, Vietnam, Tanzania, Philippines Uganda, Sudan, Myanmar, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
Malaria has for many years been a major public health concern in Nigeria. The disease accounts for more deaths and morbidity in Africa’s most populous nation than in any other country in the world. This challenge has spurred many researchers, especially those from Nigeria, to look for more effective ways of treating the deadly disease despite inadequacy of resources and unfavourable research environment. One of such assiduous researchers is Dr Chukwuma Agubata, the joint winner of the 2017 NLNG Nigeria Prize for Science.
The award, sponsored by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas company (NLNG), is Nigeria’s highest scientific award, which celebrates excellence in science breakthroughs and comes with a cash prize of $100,000. The 2017 edition of the award sought to find solutions to malaria through its theme for the year, “Innovations in Malaria Control”.
There are an estimated 100 million malaria cases, with over 300,000 deaths per year in Nigeria. This means that about 34 Nigerians die per hour due to malaria.
Dr Agubata’s research “Novel lipid microparticles for effective delivery of Artemether antimalarial drug using a locally-sourced Irvingia fat from nuts of Irvingia gabonensis var excelsa (ogbono)”, along with two other entries, emerged joint winners out of 27 entries for the 2017 award cycle. The other two joint winning entries were “Improving Home and Community Management of Malaria: Providing the Evidence Base” by Ikeoluwapo Ajayi, Ayodele Jegede and Bidemi Yusuf; and “Multifaceted Efforts at Malaria Control in Research: Management of Malaria of Various Grades and Mapping Artemisinin Resistance” by Olugbenga Mokuolu.
Image of Chukwuma_Agubata
Agubata’s entry was recommended because of the demonstration of its productive scientific application, which identified the potency of the use of “ogbono” oil to ensure that administered anti-malaria (artemether, a derivative of artemisinin) drug is well absorbed.
One of the important problems associated with malaria treatment is ineffective drug absorption by cells. Artemisinin, one of the widely used antimalaria drugs, has the advantage over other drugs in having an ability to kill faster and kill all the life cycle stages of the parasites. However, its low bioavailability (i.e the proportion of the drug absorbed into the body’s systemic circulation) and other poor pharmacokinetic properties, such as short half-life, are the major drawbacks of its use as a monotherapy for malaria.
Interestingly, Agubata’s discovery on the use of novel lipid microparticles for effective delivery of artemether antimalarial drug using fat from the nuts of ogbono grown in Nigeria provides some interesting opportunities for local approach to addressing the limitations of Artemisinin therapy. Good absorption will lead to high levels of the antimalarial drug in the systemic (blood) circulation which in turn will increase cure rates and reduce the chances of emergence of resistance to artemisinin by the malaria parasite.
Background and education
Agubata was born on 8 August, 1976 in Lagos. He had his primary education at Army Children School (NAFRC) Oshodi, Lagos, before proceeding to Bishop Crowther Seminary School, Awka, for his secondary education.
Agubata graduated from the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree (B.Pharm) in 2001. He subsequently obtained his master’s and PhD degrees in Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy respectively from the same institution.
After brief stints with some pharmaceutical companies, Agubata joined the Anambra State civil service in 2006 and worked in the Department of Pharmaceutical Services, Ministry of Health. Four years later, he got an appointment as Lecturer II in the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Industrial Pharmacy, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). He has remained with the department till date, and is currently a senior lecturer in the department.
Agubata has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals. He has a patent in drug delivery involving lipids derived from Irvingia species (ogbono). He is a beneficiary of TetFUND institution-based research grant.
Agubata is the principal investigator of Good Manufacturing Practice Research Group, UNN. He is also the editor-in-chief of Journal of Pharmaceutical Development and Industrial Pharmacy, as well as being a guest editor for Hindawi publishers.
Agubata is a member of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Administration.
His research interest areas include Drug Delivery, Tablet Technology, Lipid-Based Formulations, Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Transdermal and Topical Products.
Agubata is from Enugwu-Ukwu, Njikoka local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. He is happily married with children.
The Nigerian government intends to use CBHI to cover people employed in the informal sector and in the rural areas (Adinma & Adinma, 2010). It has been piloted on a small scale in three states (Anambra, Lagos and Kwara) (Ayeleso, 2011). About 110 communities across the country have been identified to benefit from this and there are about 100 others that have approached the NHIS to roll out the scheme in their communities.
Comrade Olubunmi Akinola, Assistant Gen Secretary, Ogun State NANNM.
The scheme is contributory, in that individuals are expected to make regular financial contributions of N150 per head into a pool. The scheme’s sustainability is however often threatened by low enrolment as a result of skepticisms by the community in the organisers or managers of the scheme, attractiveness of the benefit package, affordability of the premium, and the quality of the healthcare delivery (Onoka et al., 2011).
This has led to equity issues in the community-based health insurance scheme. For instance, despite the trifling amount of premium paid by the enrollees in the Southeast Nigeria, scheme enrolment was very low and contributions were observed to be retrogressive (Onoka et al., 2011).
Priority of public good
As earlier mentioned, the basic goals of healthcare financing systems are to keep people healthy, treat the sick and protect families against financial ruin from medical bills (Anyasor, 2017}. It has also being argued that the objectives of health care financing are to make funding available; ensure appropriate choice and purchase of cost-effective interventions; give appropriate financial incentives to providers and ensure that all individuals have access to effective health services; achieve equity and efficiency in use of healthcare spending; ensure that essential healthcare goods and services are adequately provided for; and ensure that the money is spent wisely so that the Millennium Development Goals MDGs could be achieved (Uzochukwu, 2013; Soyibo et al, 2005).
It is clear from the above that healthcare is and should be run as a public service and not a business. The expenditure in healthcare services should be seen as investments in the economy of any nation and the return on investments is to be obtained from a healthy populace especially a workforce that exhibit reduced number of revenue lost to illnesses or ill-health. Healthcare services like any other public services should not be run with the mindset of profit making as they are a prerequisite to the improvement of human right.
Problem of privatisation
The demand for privatisation or public-private partnerships (PPP) within the health sector from some quarters does not have any intention for public good but to advance the personal or selfish interest of “putting the resources of the larger public into the pockets of a few elites”.
One valid argument for privatisation and PPP is that the private sector is more efficient than the public sector. However, the falsehood behind this argument has been exposed. For instance, a global survey found that “privatised sectors perform significantly worse” than telecom companies remaining in state hands (PSIRU, 2014).
Privatisation or public private partnership does not necessarily lead to greater technical efficiency or effectiveness in providing services. Though it aims for cost-effectiveness, this often results in lower level of service or pay-cuts for workers, job insecurity and job losses – all of which have their own stifling effects on the wider economy (Godrej, 2015).
Godrej further posited that privatisation has been thoroughly scrutinised; there are numerous studies, surveys and, indeed, surveys of surveys of its effects. The consistent conclusion in all, however is that there is no evidence of greater efficiency. So, the best outcome one can hope for is that private-sector ownership or involvement is no worse than what the public sector provides – hardly a turn-up for the books.
The largest study of the efficiency of privatised companies looked at all European companies privatised between 1980 and 2009. It compared their performance with companies that remained public and with their own past performance as public companies. The result showed that the privatised companies performed worse than those that remained public and continued to do so for up to 10 years after privatisation.
Even in the super-competitive telecoms sector, where customers have benefited from lower costs and increasing variety of services over the years, this result holds. A global survey found that “privatised sectors perform significantly worse” than telecom companies remaining in state hands (PSIRU, 2014). Considering healthcare now, in the US, where healthcare spending is at its peak, with private spending on healthcare exceeding public spending, basic health outcomes are worse than in Cuba – which spends a fraction of the US amount per person in a totally public healthcare system (PSIRU, 2014).
Truth behind privatisation
The real idea of privatisation is “profit before people” and it is about restoring rate of profit, curbing the power of the people, accumulation by dispossession and reallocating the common wealth for appropriation by the one percent (Baba Aye, 2017}.
According to a 2012 report by the United States Institute of Medicine, “30 cents of every medical dollar goes to unnecessary healthcare, deceitful paperwork, fraud and other waste. The $750 billion in annual waste is more than the Pentagon budget and more than enough to care for every American who lacks health insurance… Most of the waste came from unnecessary services ($210 billion annually), excess administrative costs ($190 billion) and inefficient delivery of care ($130 billion)” (Godrej, 2015).
Also in Britain, creeping part-privatisation of the National Health Service through outsourcing has led to similar “penny wise, pounds foolish” outcomes. One example: in Cornwall, the private contractor Serco, which provided call-centre cover for out-of-hours GP services, decided to economise by replacing clinicians with call-handlers without medical training, who followed a set of computerised cues to make decisions about ambulance call-outs. This resulted in a very expensive four-fold increase in ambulance call-outs with the cost to be borne, of course, by the taxpayer (Simms, 2013).
According to Barr (2007) public private partnerships that go beyond disease specific objectives into health service delivery to patients have been without skepticism and opposition. “These partnerships should be regarded as social experiments; they show promise but are not a panacea”. It is presumed by PPP proponents that health outcomes will improve by putting the health care sector in a competition atmosphere. Yet, literature suggest that this is not necessarily the case (Boardman & Vining, 2012). And if it were to be true, the question remains: better health outcomes for who? Who are the beneficiaries of PPP efforts? Contentions on rising medical fees due to PPP arrangements suggest that poor patients will not benefit from the enhanced infrastructure and services (Swertvaegher, 2015).
According to Swertvaegher, the potential contributions of PPPs lie in the improvement of dilapidated health facilities and an increase of available technology and equipment. Yet, these do not address the greatest defaults of the system and therefore should not be prioritised. Priorities do not lie in specialised health care facilities in urban centers. A more effective referral system, with a strong primary care basis, with rationalised health spending and an adequate workforce, are the priorities. Even worse than contributing to the real needs of the health system, PPPs might hold the risk of potential aggravation of the deficiencies that burden the system.
Firstly, preventive care should be prioritised over curative care. Spending on primary care will eventually generate better returns than wasting on curative care. Yet, this is where the money lies and it hardly attracts the “for-profit” private sector as improved infrastructure on the other hand, offers opportunities even before service delivery begins.
Conclusion
Healthcare financing by any responsible government should be targeted at benefitting the populace. Tax-based revenue funding, exemptions and a well-managed health insurance scheme are financing models that can attain the goals and objectives of a healthcare system. Out-of-pocket payments and calls for privatisation are solely targeted at profit-making, which is not a goal of the healthcare system.
The overall objective of a health system is service delivery for the enhancement of public good, while the driving force behind PPPs and privatisation is maximisation of profit, which in turn, results in higher cost and reduced access as a result of inability to afford services. Rather than look into PPPs and privatisation initiatives that will take healthcare within the reach of the masses, governments should focus on primary healthcare, which serves the largest proportion of the population who do not have access to the private health sector.
REFERENCES
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Dinyar Godrej (2015). Myth 5: The private sector is more efficient than the public sector. https://newint.org/features/2015/12/01/private-public-sector
PSIRU, Public and private sector efficiency, May 2014, nin.tl/PSIRU-efficiency
Ayeleso O (2011). Lagos government introduces community based insurance scheme. Nigerian Tribune. http://www.tribune.com.ng/index.php/insurance/20352-lagos-govt-introduces-community-based- insurance-scheme
Carrin G (2003). Community based health insurance scheme in developing countries: Facts, problems and perspectives. Discussion paper No 1. Geneva: World Health Organisation, Department of Health System Financing, Expenditure and Resource Allocation (FER).
Adinma E. D, Adinma B. J (2010). Community based healthcare financing: An untapped option to a more effective healthcare funding in Nigeria. Niger Med J 2010;51:95-100
Kutzin J. (1998). Health insurance for the formal sector in Africa: “Yes, but…”. In: Beattie A, Doherty J, Gilson L, Lambo E, Shaw P, editors. Sustainable Health Care Financing in Southern Africa. Washington, DC: World Bank; 1998. p. 61-73.
National Health Insurance scheme (NHIS). Available from: http://www.nhis.gov.ng/.
World Health Organization. WHO Country Cooperation Strategy: Nigeria 2008-2013. Brazzaville: WHO Regional office for Africa; 2009.
World Health Organization (2013). Country Cooperation Strategy: Federal Republic of Nigeria 2002-2007. Brazzaville.
O’Donnell O, van Doorslaer E, Rannan-Eliya RP, Somanathan A, Adhikari SR, Akkazieva B, et al. Who pays for health care in Asia? J Health Econ 2008;27:460-75.
World Health Organization. Nigeria – National Expenditure on Health. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2012
Goudge J, Russell S, Gilson L, Gumede T, Tollman S, Mills A. Illness-related impoverishment in rural South Africa: Why does social protection work for some households but not others? J Int Dev 2009;21:231-51
Wagstaff A, van Doorsaler E. Equity in healthcare financing and delivery. In: Culyer AJ, Newhouse JP, editors. Handbook of Health Economics. 1 st ed., Vol. B. Ch. 34. North Holland: Elsevier; 2000. p. 1803-62.
Onoka CA, Onwujekwe OE, Hanson K, Uzochukwu BS. Examining catastrophic health expenditures at variable thresholds using household consumption expenditure diaries. Trop Med Int Health 2011;16:1334-41
U E, Okwuosa C, Envuladu E, Onwujekwe O E. Health care financing in Nigeria: Implications for achieving universal health coverage. Niger J Clin Pract 2015;18:437-44
Gottret P, Schieber G. Health Financing Revisited: A Practioner′s Guide. Washington DC: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank; 2006
Carrin G, Evans D, Xu K. Designing health financing policy towards universal coverage. Bull World Health Organ 2007;85:652
Murray C, Frenk J. World Health Report 2000: A step towards evidence-based health policy. Lancet 2001;357:1698-700
Swertvaegher J. (2015). Public-Private Partnerships In Health In The Phillipines: An Equity Perspective. Master’s thesis submitted to the faculty of political and social sciences, Ghent University.
To mark the 2019 African Traditional Medicine Day, pharmacists from the department of pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos recently held an awareness lecture and herbal product exhibition in Lagos.
The event themed: ‘Herbal Research, from Laboratory to the Market: the Asian Experience’ graced by a good number of pharmacists was the third annual symposium of the faculty in commemoration of African Traditional Medicine. The first edition was held in 2017.
Speaking at the event, Dr Ifeoma Orabueze, the chairman, planning committee, said that over 80 percent of the people in the developed world still depends on herbal medicine, noting that people in developing countries cannot afford to ignore herbal medicines.
M-L : Prof. Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, vice-chancellor, UNILAG; Mr Olawale Olorunkemi; assistant director, Lagos State Ministry of Health/Coordinating Director, and Prof. Glory Oluremilekun Ajayi, dean of Pharmacognosy, UNILAG.
While stating that the usefulness of herbal medicine in our world cannot be overemphasised, Dr Orabueze noted that African traditional medicine has kept our forefathers going for decades.
Speaking on the theme of the event, the guest speaker, Prof. Neelam S. Sangwan from Central University of Haryana, India stated that at least 7,000 medical compounds in the modern pharmacopoeia are derived from plants.
Explaining the usefulness of plant, Sangwan said, medicinal plants such as Aloe, Tulsi, Neem, Turmeric and Ginger can cure several common ailments.
She further stated that herbs like aloe, sandal1381 3690 1552 8156wood, turmeric, sheetraj hindi and khare khasak are commonly used as antiseptic and are very high in medicinal values.
“These are considered as home remedies in many parts of the country. It is known fact that lots of consumers are using Basil (Tulsi) for making medicines, black tea, in pooja and other activities in their day to day life”, the professor stated.
R-L : Prof. Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, vice-chancellor, UNILAG; Mr Olawale Olorunkemi; assistant director, Lagos State Ministry of Health/Coordinating Director, and Prof. Boladele O. Silver, former dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, UNILAG.
Also speaking at the event, Dr Abimbola Showemimo, the acting head of department for pharmacognosy, Faculty of pharmacy, University of Lagos, said that traditional medicine are our heritage, adding that some of the use of herbs in the country have been passed down from generations.
“These herbal products today are the symbol of safety in contrast to the synthetic drugs, that are regarded as unsafe to human being and the environment,” Showemimo added.
The head of department for Pharmacognosy explained further that herbs have been priced for their medicinal, flavouring and aromatic qualities for centuries even though the synthetic products of the modern age surpassed their importance for a while.
She however stated that the era where people blindly depend on synthetic drug over herbal medicines is over, noting that people all over the world are now returning to the natural medicine because of its safety and security profile. “It’s time to promote them globally.” She said.
Explaining the reason for organising the programme, Dr Showemimo noted that the programme was a way of creating awareness about the safety and use of herbal medicine because of the adverse effect of a lot of the synthetic drugs.
Amongst the dignitaries at the event were: Prof. Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, vice-chancellor, UNILAG; Mr Robert Uzu, managing director, Ruzu Bitters; Dr Mr Olawale Olorunkemi; assistant director, Lagos State Ministry of Health/Coordinating Director, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board; Prof. Glory Oluremilekun Ajayi, dean of Pharmacognosy and Prof. Boladele O. Silver, former dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has decried the high level of inaccessibility to drinking water and sanitation in poorest countries of the world, while weak government systems and funding gaps have been identified as culprits.
The apex health institution, has also called on governments of countries across the globe to urgently scale up their investment in strong drinking-water and sanitation systems, in order to prevent a disaster in the nearest future.
In a statement released by the WHO on Wednesday, it was disclosed that international stakeholders converged in Stockholm for its annual conference during the World Water Week, celebrated on 25-30 August 2019.
Inaccessibility of portable water in Africa
Part of the issues discussed at the conference was the UN-Water Global Assessment and Analysis of Sanitation and Drinking-Water 2019 (known as the GLAAS report), which surveyed 115 countries and territories, representing 4.5 billion people.
The survey showed that, in an overwhelming majority of countries, the implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene policies and plans is constrained by inadequate human and financial resources. Nineteen countries and one territory reported a funding gap of more than 60 percent between identified needs and available funding. While Less than 15 percent of countries have the financial or human resources needed to implement their plans.
Speaking on the development, WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said: “Too many people lack access to reliable and safe drinking-water, toilets and hand-washing facilities, putting them at risk of deadly infections and threatening progress in public health.
He continued: “Water and sanitation systems don’t just improve health and save lives, they are a critical part of building more stable, secure and prosperous societies. We call on all countries that lack essential water and sanitation infrastructure to allocate funds and human resources to build and maintain it”.
Also justifying the essential role safe and affordable water, sanitation and hygiene services, play in human existence, the Chair of UN-Water and President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Mr Gilbert F Houngbo, said to have a healthier and stable society, these factors must be handled as top priority.
“While we need to ensure that there is sufficient funding to tackle these critical challenges, it is equally important to continue reinforcing national delivery systems”, he stressed.
While it was observed that funding gaps and weak systems are holding many countries back, the report also found that countries have begun to take positive steps towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and sanitation.
For Mr David Molefha, principal water engineer at the Ministry of Land Management Water and Sanitation Services in Botswana, Sustainable Development Goals were actually there motivation to take concrete actions at the national level to increase access to sanitation. “We have developed a sanitation roadmap and are working to eliminate open defecation. With these actions, we are working to improve peoples’ lives”, he noted.
The statement revealed that about half of the countries surveyed have now set drinking-water targets that aim for universal coverage at levels higher than basic services by 2030.
Your thoughts determine the quality of your life. As simple as this sounds, it is the gospel truth. If you change your DOMINANT thoughts, you can transform your life like night and day. American theologian Tryon Edward commented, “Thoughts lead on to purposes, purposes go forth in action, action forms habits, habits decide character and character fixes our destiny.”
All innovations and inventions have one fundamental thing in common: they are products of thoughts. Recall those things you consistently thought about to improve your wellbeing in the last five years that you went ahead to take consistent actions on, and you will find out that they are part of your life now.
Man has moved quickly to the era of efficiency and effectiveness through thought. Think about it, how would transportation have been easy without airplanes, ships, trains and cars? How would communication have been without phones, Internet, or fax? How much fun would there have been without television, radio, computer, satellite link, or social media? How much information would you have had without books, newspapers, magazines, or electronic media? How much quality of life would we have had without electricity, medicines and sewage system?
The genesis of all inventions is thought. The most interesting aspect of thought is that as long as you can think about something, you can achieve it. Thought is an unstoppable instrument bestowed on all human beings; but if it is not well channelled, it leads to failure.
We have positive thoughts and negative thoughts. What shapes our life positively is to develop the habit of positive thinking. Negative thoughts lead to negative actions and negative results. On the other hand, positive thoughts lead to positive emotions which give rise to positive actions and results.
Your thoughts shape your life in a significant way, whether you aware or not. Do your own thinking; do not be a rubber stamp which puts the same imprint on every type of surface. Even modern rubber stamps, with their alterable interface (for instance, date stamps can be configured to reflect the current date) still serve the singular purpose of giving official approval as a mere matter of routine.
Until you do your thinking and navigate your life from your thoughts, you may not achieve your full potential. Your creator has bestowed on you the thought faculty, ability, blueprints and intuition you need to solve problems, create solutions, chart a path, set goals, take action, change course as necessary, and achieve anything you set your mind on. Your greatness lies in your thoughts – how well you are utilising it.
Learn to control your thoughts, then you can you control your destiny. American essayist and lecturer, Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked, “It is impossible for man to be cheated by anyone but himself.”
Our best friends and worst enemies are the thoughts we have about ourselves. The enemy is not outside of us, it is within. Our self-imposed limitations which are products of our thoughts are the greatest battle we must defeat if we are keen of achieving our full potential and maximizing our one shot at life. Norman Vincent Peale advised, “Do not build obstacles in your mind.”
As a man thinketh in his heart, so he becomes. Think about your environment. Think about new ideas and new approach to things. Think about what you want, not what you don’t want. Think about how you can achieve your goals, not the challenges you are facing. Think about progress, success, happiness, and greatness all the time.
Pharm. Sesan Kareem
For you to be great, you must cultivate the habit of positive thinking, and you must scrupulously observe and carefully scrutinise things. Eddie Rickenbancher encourages, “Think positively and masterfully. With confidence and faith, life becomes secure, more fraught with action, richer in achievement and experience.”
Your thought can never be defeated. As long as you have the confidence and faith to back it up, it will become a reality. H. F. Dunning wrote, “All the training programmes in the world, all the congenial climates in which to work, all the opportunities and challenges that can be put, will not amount to a thinker’s clan, unless the individual does the basic thinking, makes the basic application of his energy and does 95 per cent of the so-called development job himself.” Who knows, your thought may be what will pioneer man to a better life. So start thinking– positively.
Barack Obama thought of becoming the first African-American President and he achieved it. Nelson Mandela thought of uniting the black and white population in South Africa and he did. Mike Zuckenberg thought of connecting the world on social media platforms and he accomplished it. Mike Adenuga thought of building an Africa telecommunications giant company and he did it.
Thomas Edison thought of lighting up every home in the world and he actualised it. Michael Jordan thought of becoming the greatest basketball player in history and he made it happen. Wole Soyinka thought of becoming a literary icon and he won the Nobel Laureate.
Thought is the beginning of greatness. But thoughts must be backed up with actions; actions with consistency; consistency with perseverance; perseverance with commitment – if you want to achieve greatness and enjoy its numerous benefits.
As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Therefore, if you think you are blessed, you are blessed. If you think you are highly favoured, you are highly favoured. If you think it will be well, it will be well. If you think otherwise too, you are right. So be wise and think positive all the time.
ACTION PLAN: Focus your thoughts on what you want, not what you don’t want. Be aware of your thought pattern; when a negative thought come to your mind, immediately change it to positive thought.
AFFIRMATION: I think positively, creatively and masterfully. I am blessed and highly favoured.
Pharmacists in Lagos State, under the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) have unanimously endorsed Amatem-Softgel, a brand of artemether-lumefantrine combination, marketed by Elbe Pharmaceutical, as an effective and patient compliant medicine.
The special recognition of the brand by the pharmacists was a major activity during the official opening ceremony of the 2019 Lagos PSN Scientific Week, as the drug experts took turn to speak on the efficacy of the medicine and urged other manufacturers to follow the Elbe’s innovative example for better patients outcomes
L-R: Pharm. Deji Osinoiki, former national chairman, ACPN, and B.O.T chairman,Lagos PSN; Pharm. Ejiro Foyibo, deputy PSN president; Pharm. (Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran, chairman, Lagos PSN; Pharm. Shiva Kumar, GM/COO,Elbe Pharma; and Mr Kayode Kolade, business head, Elbe Pharma, during the endorsement.
Speaking on the reason for the endorsement, the Chairman, Lagos State PSN, Pharm. (Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran, explained that as custodians of drugs, it is part of their obligations to monitor adverse drug reactions and the degree of patients’ acceptance of a drug, both of which they have evaluated and Amatem-Softgel was not found wanting in any.
She further noted that Elbe as a Pharmaceutical company has been on the forefront of fighting malaria in Nigeria through her innovative brand of antimalarial- Amatem-Softgel, and the company has been a major partner of the 2019 Lagos PSN Scientific Week.
The PSN Chairman also asserted that with Lagos having the highest number of pharmacists in Nigeria, their seal of approval means so much for Elbe and their unique brand of antimalarial.
Her words: “Although the brand got the support of community pharmacists during the annual national conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) in Kano, it was imperative to get the approval of the ‘Eko’ pharmacists, because the company knows that we have the number and stand for the best, so we decided to give our absolute recognition to the brand. Congratulations to Elbe for the special endorsement”.
Presenting the findings of a comparative study conducted on the bioavailability, efficacy and toxicity of Amatem-Softgel and another known brand of artemeter–lumefantrine tablet formulation, by a group of researchers from LASUTH, Dr Mutiu Bamidele, of the Parasitology and Microbiology Department of LASUTH, noted that Amatem-Softgel was found to be more present in the blood stream than other brands of malaria tablets.
Pharm.(Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran, chairman, Lagos PSN (right) announcing the endorsement status of Amatem Softgel at the scientific week, while other Elbe Pharma staff members listen with keen interest.
According to him: “It is expected that most of the drugs we take get to the blood stream that is what we call bioavailability. What we found out from the bioavailability study is that Amatem-Softgel is more present in the bloodstream than the tablets. The implication is that Amatem-Softgel can quickly attack malaria parasite in the bloodstream, than tablets”.
Pharm. (Mrs) Modupe Oyawole, deputy director, Pharmacy Department, LASUTH, also expressed her delight with the brand saying “I have known Elbe as a pharmaceutical company for a while, and for those of us in the hospital, Elbe is synonymous with quality products, so we know that any product they come out with is of good quality.
“For Amatem-Softgel, we use it in my institution a lot, especially in the O&G unit, we use it for patients in the third trimester and it has been very effective. I know that Amatem-Softgel will go places, because it’s a product I am confident to talk about, anytime, any day”, she said.
Pharm. Ismail Sumonu, publicity secretary, Lagos PSN, also attested to the quality of the brand. “Basically, before the Lagos State branch of the PSN will go all out in endorsing a product, we must have been aware of the efforts the company have made in improving the brand and the quality of their products.
“Considering the fact that artemether – lumefantrine combination generally has a bitter taste, one of the unique selling point of Amatem-Softgel is that it comes in a gelatin capsule, which masks the taste and odour of the combination.
“Also in treating malaria, you realise that one of the challenges is vomiting, and for most patients, the odour of the drug triggers vomiting. But where you can mask taste and odour, you make the drug more acceptable by patients. So when we consider all of these, we realise it’s a major advantage over other brands of artemether-lumefantrine in the market.
“So PSN Lagos, is coming all out to say, this is a brand to identify with, this is a brand to endorse, in addition to Elbe’s Corporate Social Responsibility to the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria”, he emphasised.
Captain (Pharm.) Haruna Ajiya Mbaya also joined in the quality chorus of Amatem-Softgel, noting that the endorsement is all about getting better patients outcomes. “Elbe has been into pharmaceutical business for over 30 years, and they have various lines of pharmaceutical products. Basically, they started with Amatem Forte, now Amatem-Softgel, where those after taste of drug are being eradicated, with high rate of absorption.
“Patient complaint is improved, and adherence is also improved. Rate of activity also increased, as when a patient takes his drug, it goes to the target site, and then it will elicits pharmacological response. I think it is a very good development.
“The endorsement here is not a new one, because the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) just endorsed Elbe in their national conference in Kano last month. Pharmacists in Lagos are just joining their voices to say it is a good products for all to use.
“Actually, it is all about the patients, and since it’s all about patients, we want good outcomes for our patients. Who does not want good thing? Since it’s a good product, then let everybody support the Amatem-Softgel”, he urged.
Feeling a bit unsteady, feverish or sometimes nauseous just immediately after you took your favourite meal?
Scientists from the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health, Canada (U of A) believe that you may have joined the millions all over the world with a case of food poisoning.
Other researchers have also revealed that bacteria, viruses or parasites that cause food poisoning can exist at any stage of growing, packaging, shipping, storing or cooking food. This, according to them, calls for proper handling of food, such as putting it right back into a cooler after everybody dishes up.
They note that without such measures, bacteria can take over the table, leading to contamination and illness ranging from Staphylococcus aureus that passes in a day or two, to more serious infections like salmonella or E. coli.
“Food poisoning can be prevented 95 percent of the time by just doing the basics right,” said Lee Green, a public health expert and head of family medicine in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
Professor Norman Neumann, a food safety expert with the U of A’s School of Public Health, also said that more globalised markets means the impact of food-borne illness can be much more extensive, when and if food isn’t prepared or handled properly. He added that it’s important to be conscious of where contamination might come from.
Though meat is often blamed as the leading cause of food poisoning due to well-publicised outbreaks of E. coli infection, another prevalent cause is packaged fruit and vegetables, Neumann noted.
“It could be the water that’s used for irrigating the crops, when it’s contaminated by faecal sources from livestock or humans,” he said.
Grocery stores, Neumann stated, are less likely sources of food-borne illness than kitchens, because they have strict industry standards.
“Inspection practices have improved, and many stores have programs to actively recruit producers with safety programs on site to minimize contamination from water or pests. They’ll source food from reputable growers,” the professor explained.
A young woman suffering from food poisoning
Prevention tips
To prevent food poisoning at home, Neumann suggests triple-washing of packaged fruits and vegetables with warm or hot water for at least, 30 seconds, even if they’re advertised as pre-rinsed.
It’s also smart to keep food refrigerated, though some microbes like Listeria can grow in cold temperature, he said, stressing that this why it is important to pay attention to expiry dates.
“Leaving food like packaged meat for too long in the fridge can still cause spoilage and growth of certain pathogens.
“Leftovers should be finished off within a few days of being prepared. For more perishable produce like lettuce, it’s still safe to eat just as it starts turning brown, but has to be consumed within a day or so.
“Once spoilage starts, it proceeds quickly,” added Neumann.
According to him, it is important to choose wisely when dining out because restaurants are often implicated in food-borne outbreaks.
“Go to restaurants you know are clean outside and inside, that show a high level of hygienic practices, and order food that is well cooked. Even a medium-rare steak should be cooked to an internal temperature of 63 C,” he suggested.
Kitchen tips to avoid food poisoning
In addition, Green and Neumann offer these kitchen rules to avoid food poisoning:
Use a plastic—not wooden—cutting board for meat and fish and clean it in the dishwasher. Don’t use it to cut other foods.
Don’t leave perishable food sitting at room temperature for more than 20 or 30 minutes.
Use warm, soapy water to wash kitchen countertops.
Use a scrub brush to wash dishes, because dishcloths and sponges breed bacteria. If you use dishcloths, change them daily. Sponges should be allowed to dry completely between uses.
Be careful not to reuse utensils and plates that have been in contact with raw meat without washing them first.
Rinse fruit and vegetables in water and then drain them thoroughly.
Treating food poisoning
According to Green, it can be very difficult to tell whether it is food poisoning or the flu that causes stomach sickness because they both share same symptoms, such as diarrhoea and vomiting. Because of this, she suggested that if symptoms persist after 24 hours, it is important to see a doctor.
“The symptoms may be the same, but it may need antibiotic treatment and we can’t tell what it is without proper testing.” Green said.
she added that more serious infections like E. coli and salmonella, which can live in food like undercooked or unrefrigerated meat, improperly prepared sushi and unwashed produce, can take one to three days to develop, and bring on bloody diarrhoea, vomiting and, in serious cases, low blood pressure, kidney damage, confusion and unconsciousness.
It’s not advisable to use over-the-counter diarrhoea medications or any prescriptions left over from vacations without knowing what type of food poisoning you have, Green said. “You can make yourself much sicker.”
While emphasising that there’s really no medical treatment for mild cases of food poisoning like staph infections, Green recommends resting and drink water to ward off dehydration.
“Once you’ve thrown it up and cleared it out of your body, it’s gone,” she said.
Mangoes, botanically known as Magnifera indica (fam: Anacardiaceae) make for one of the most popular fruits across the world. There are hundreds of types of mangoes, each with a unique taste, shape, size and colour. The colour of ripe mango could be yellow, orange or red, while the unripe mango is green in colour.
Constituents
Mango contains calories, protein, carbohydrates, fat, dietary fibre, folate, vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, B5, A, E, K, niacin, potassium, manganese and magnesium. Also contained in mango are antioxidants, such as isoquercitrin, quercetin, astragalin, gallic acid, fisetin, methyl gallate, tartaric acid, malic acid, citric acid and glutamic acid, which is an important alpha-amino acid for the brain. The leaves of mango contain magniferin and tannins.
Preparations
Mangoes are usually eaten raw; they may be cut in pieces and added to salads or to ice creams.
Mashed mango may be mixed with milk and honey forming a paste to be used as body scrub.
Mango leaves may be prepared as an infusion by boiling and soaking overnight.
Mango fruit may be dried and serve as snacks, juiced, or canned and used to make sauces, stew and preservatives.
Pharmacological actions and medicinal uses
Mango, the king of all fruits, has been shown to have many health benefits.
Mangoes could help facilitate healthy digestion. They are reported to contain enzymes that aid the breakdown and digestion of protein, and also fibre, which keeps the digestive tract working efficiently, while inducing a feeling of satiety. The phytochemicals in the mango skin act as natural fat-busters. Thus, mangoes, when eaten in moderation, could also help in weight loss.
The dietary fibre in mango helps regulate blood sugar levels. Studies in Japan and Mysore, respectively, proved that the extract of a mango peel has anti-diabetic properties with beneficial effects on type 2 diabetes patients. Mango leaves are reported to help regulate insulin levels. They also serve as a stomach tonic.
fresh mango with slices isolated on white background
The beta-carotene in mangoes help in the production of Vitamin A, the powerful antioxidant that helps improve vision and boosts overall eye health. According to a Boston study, mangoes contain a carotenoid called cryptoxanthin that was found to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration in elderly Japanese people.
Mango has antioxidants which protect the body against breast, colon and prostate cancers, as well as leukaemia. Mangiferin has also been found to inhibit the growth of colon and liver cancer cells and other tumor cells as well.
Mangoes have the ability to increase virility in men because of the vitamin E content. The fruit may aid menopausal and pregnant women because of its high iron and calcium levels.
In some parts of the Caribbean Islands, the mango leaf decoction is used to treat diarrhoea.
Mangoes are also found to exhibit anti-ulcer activity, given the presence of tannins, flavonoids, and saponins.
Adverse effects
Excessive consumption of mangoes hinder weight loss plan, increase blood sugar levels. Indigestion and mango mouth can especially be caused by immature mango. Other adverse effects of excessive mango consumption include Salmonella infections, allergic reactions (watery eyes, respiratory problem, colds, sneezing and abdominal pain).
Economic potentials
Experts believe mango has enormous potential that can transform the economy like other traditional export produce, such as cocoa. It has been reported that a mango farm belonging to a former northern governor generated as much as ₦5 billion yearly. There are opportunities in farming, exportation, local sales and processing of mango.
Mango may also be explored as a raw material in the pharmaceutical and food industry.
Are you in the habit of starting your day with a throat-burning hot tea? If that seems familiar to you, then you need to do something about it immediately, as a new published in the International Journal of Cancer has revealed that people who drink extremely hot tea may be increasing their risk of Oesophageal cancer.
Oesophagus is a long tube through which swallowed food and liquids travel to reach the stomach while Oesophageal cancer is the cancer of the tube that runs from the throat to the stomach.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer said Oesophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer in the world and is often fatal, killing approximately 400,000 people every year, usually caused by repeated injury to the oesophagus due to smoke, alcohol, acid reflux and maybe hot liquids.
The researchers found that tea drinkers who like their beverage to be warmer than 60 degrees Celsius and consumed more than 700 ml of tea per day had a 90 percent risk of Oesophageal cancer when compared to those who drank less tea and at cooler temperatures.
To arrive at the findings, the study looked at more than 50,000 people in Golestan, a province in northeastern Iran, according to the Cable News Network.
Study Shows Drinking Hot Tea Could Increase Cancer Risk
The study’s lead author, Dr Farhad Islami, of the American Cancer Society, said, “Many people enjoy drinking tea, coffee, or other hot beverages. However, according to our report, drinking very hot tea can increase the risk of Oesophageal cancer, and it is, therefore, advisable to wait until hot beverages cool down before drinking.”
Previous researches found a link between hot tea drinking and Oesophageal cancer but the new study is the first to pinpoint a specific temperature, according to the authors.
The American Cancer Society estimates that 13,750 new cases of Oesophageal cancer will be diagnosed in men and 3,900 new cases in women in the United States in 2019.
The researchers followed 50,045 people, aged between 40 and 75, for an average of 10 years between 2004 and 2017. They detected 317 new cases of Oesophageal cancer during the period.
The study authors, however, said more research was needed on why drinking very hot tea could BE associated with the higher risk of Oesophageal cancer.
According to a professor of Pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Stephen Evans, it was the heat that was the issue rather than the type of beverage.
“It is probably anything hot; microwaved jam has been known to cause oesophageal injury. It is possible that the trauma leads to cell changes and hence to cancer,” Evans said.
A Senior Research Associate at the University College London, James Doidge, added that hot drinks were an established risk factor for Oesophageal cancer.
An executive of a global pharmaceutical equipment manufacturing company, Lotus Group, recently paid a courtesy visit to the corporate head office of Pharmanews Limited, Mende, Maryland.
The Lotus International Business Manager – Huzaifa Shaikh, who came all the way from India to Nigeria, on a fact – finding mission about the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry, told the Managing Director, Pharmanews Limited, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, that this was his first time of coming into the country, to gather information about the nation’s pharmaceutical business, which will enhance the establishment of their Nigerian office soonest.
Shaikh explained that his main objective of coming to Nigeria is to expand pharmaceutical facilities in the country, while he mentioned that Lotus Group will be present at the Nigeria Pharma Expo, slated for 28 to 29 August 2019, at booth No. 53, to discuss more on the project requirements.
L-R , Mr Moses Dike, business development manager, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, Managing Director, Pharmanews Limited Mr Huzaifa Shaikh, Lotus International Business Manager, Mr Peter Ogbonna, advert executive.
He further noted that Lotus International is focused on designing, supplying, consulting, engineering and installation of pharmaceutical facilities.
Receiving the Lotus manager, Sir Atueyi appreciated Shaikh for his visit to Pharmanews and for his interest in the Nigerian Pharmaceutical Industry, assuring him of business opportunities in Nigeria, as local pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in the country will be willing to leverage Lotus’s quality equipment for better production of drugs and other products.
The Pharmanews boss also advised him to endeavour to attend the forthcoming National Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society Nigeria (PSN) which is scheduled to come up from 4 to 9 November 2019, in order for him to meet relevant stakeholders in the industry.
L-R , Mr Moses Dike, business development manager, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, Managing Director, Pharmanews Limited, Mr Huzaifa Shaikh, Lotus International Business Manager.
“We don’t have much international manufacturing companies in Nigeria, as the government prefers that we produce our facilities locally,” Atueyi added.
Present at the meeting were, Mr Moses Dike, business development manager, Pharmanews; Miss Omolola Famodun, digital marketing executive, Pharmanews; Mr Peter Ogbonna, advert executive, Pharmanews; and Mr Adebayo Folorunsho -Francis, senior correspondent, Pharmanews.
Yusuf Hassan Wada, a 21-year- old pharmacy student of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, is the winner of the recent Pharmanews PANSite of the year award. In this interview with Pharmanews, he explains how he achieved the feat, while encouraging other youths to follow their passion, regardless of difficulties, stating that it will pay off in the end. Excerpts:
Tell us a little about your early life.
I was born on 12 July 1997, and I started my education in Lagos, precisely in Festac. My father had been working here, but he was later transferred out of Lagos. I concluded my primary school education in 2006, and was enrolled into a boarding school in Jigawa, same year. I graduated from secondary school in 2013.
R-L: Managing Director, Pharmanews Limited, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, presenting the cheque of N50,000 to Yusuf Hassan Wada, winner, Pharmanews PANSite of the Year; and Abdullahi Isyaku, a relative at the event.
I went to Usmanu Danfodiyo University for a remedial programme because I couldn’t make it for UTME that year. I got admission into Usmanu Danfodiyo University School of Matriculation Studies, for a year programme, which qualified me for admission to study Pharmacy in 2014.
Presently I am a 500-level student of Pharmaceutical Science, looking forward to my graduation by November 2019.
Why did you decide to study Pharmacy?
Actually, as at when I went to the School of Matriculation Studies, I didn’t know much about Pharmacy, but I’ve always had a passion to serve humanity. I look forward to solving many problems facing my society, one of which I discovered was drug abuse. I was also on the lookout for the profession which would enhance my campaign against drug abuse in my community. And then I realised Pharmacy would be of great help to my vision, so I went for it.
When I was in secondary school, I didn’t have a passion for any medical course because I had the notion that most medical practitioners don’t usually have time to rest. However, as soon as I got into the School of Matriculation Studies, I met a lot of people who encouraged me to go for Pharmacy.
As a student, I have started so many things. I have presented so many articles on drug abuse, and currently I am undergoing a state survey in Sokoto. I am carrying out a survey on the menace of drug abuse amongst students. We got approval from the state government early this year, and we are looking at the possibility of publishing it this year.
So how has the journey been, combining your studies with social and community activities?
It has been a long journey for me; a long journey in the sense that it is not an easy task combining writing, doing researches, engaging in pharmaceutical work and also being active on social media and community campaigns. But, then, everything has been purposeful and we are here now.
What prompted your advocacy activities?
Actually, my passion to rid my community of drug abuse and misuse triggered my campaign against the menace. The journey began when I started writing articles on drug abuse, and I have more than 25 articles published already. I started writing for national dailies just last year, and my awareness campaign on drug abuse in secondary schools was along that line too.
The vision for advocacy against drug abuse has taken me to several places I wouldn’t have gone by myself. I was at the health minister’s office at one time to seek approval for my advocacy. I became a member of the Arewa Foundation, and I was given several portfolios, such as the marketing manager and the programme coordinator. We took our advocacy and television programme to almost 35 schools in the first phase last year, and we have many programmes still running. We are trying to see how we can incorporate more schools into the programme.
L-R: Mr Olaoye Aboderin, copy editor, Pharmanews; Mrs Temitope Obayendo, online editor, Pharmanews; Yusuf Hassan Wada, winner, Pharmanews PANSite of the Year Award; Managing Director, Pharmanews Limited, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi; and Abdullahi Isyaku, at the award presentation ceremony.
How were you able to reach out to so many secondary schools within a short period of time?
I don’t live in Sokoto, but I was able to maximize my time during the strike from October 2018 to February 2019. I used that opportunity to impact the students as we did the campaign for four weeks, and went to two schools a day and sometimes three in a day. It depended on the location. We reached out to almost 1000 students in a day and collaborated with NDLEA and also some clerics.
What were some of the responses you got from the students?
The truth is that most students do not know that drugs or substances should not be abused. In fact, they don’t have enough information on the dangers of drug abuse. Thus, most times when we ask them what they have gained from our presentations, they come out to say we have really impacted their lives through our lectures.
Also at the 53rd Annual Convention of Science Association of Nigeria, I presented a paper on drugs and substance abuse among youths in Nigeria, and I was given a certificate of participation. I was also one of the facilitators at the Annual National Conference of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria in Sokoto, where I presented a paper on drug abuse.
Have you had any collaboration with NAFDAC, or their representatives?
We haven’t done that yet, but I have met some NAFDAC officials and we have talked at length to see how we could collaborate with them in the future.
How did you feel when you were nominated for the Pharmanews PANSite of the Year award?
I was not aware of the nomination initially. I just received a call from a friend who told me that a lot of people had been nominating me for Pharmanews award. So I checked the website and saw it. To be very sure of the whole thing, I asked some of my friends if they had heard of something like this before, but they said not at all.
Still bewildered about the initiative, I tried to call up a few of those that called that they had nominated me, asking why they did so. And to my greatest surprise, they said they had been appreciating the work I am doing and they felt winning this award would just be a token reward for my efforts in drug abuse advocacy.
Then coming to the voting stage, I also received a call that my name had been shortlisted for those that they would vote for, and I was overwhelmed. I first thanked God that I was even one of those that were nominated for the award, and then pleaded with my friends to vote for me. They assured me of their votes and added that they would even mobilize others to vote for me. And lo and behold, at the end of the poll, I emerged the winner.
I wish to use this medium to thank all friends and colleagues who voted me for this award. I am most grateful, very excited and delighted to be the first winner of the Pharmanews PANSite of the year award.
Now that you have won, what’s next?
Like I said earlier, I believe in service to humanity and contributing my quota to the advancement of my society. Prior to winning this award, I had the vision of bringing more people into public health and drug abuse advocacy. I also have great passion for pharmaceutical journalism; that was why I started writing from my secondary school days, although there was a lot of discouragement then.
My vision is to encourage more youngsters to follow their passion and keep at it, even in the face of several challenges; definitely, they will overcome them all. For pharmacy students, I want to admonish those who have a flair for writing to develop the skill as there are few pharmacists practising pharmaceutical journalism.
Your conception in your mother’s womb was known and planned by God before it took place. Therefore, your birth is not an accident. Sometimes couples have babies by accident because they did not plan for them. We know of some wicked mothers who dump their unwanted babies because they never knew their sexual activities would result in pregnancy.
Psalm 139:16 (NLT) says, “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God?”
There is no human that comes into this world without the knowledge and plan of God. All the things the person is expected to do on earth are already recorded by God even before birth. Everyone is uniquely shaped and destined for a purpose. God also provides the necessary gifts, talents, abilities, time and facilities to fulfil the purpose.
Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi
God has crafted us with skills for His purpose and takes full responsibility for who we are. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
It is not just our bodies that God has designed but the whole of our situation. Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV) says, “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.” Like the potter, God makes us into shapes and designs for different purposes. He sees us as finished products. Therefore, we need not compare ourselves with others.
Specifically, we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Good works are absolutely meant to be the result of our salvation. We have been saved to serve Him. God prepared what He wanted us to do for Him long ago. Therefore, we do not need to copy someone else or what he is doing. He has a unique plan for each of us to serve Him in this world. He has endowed us with certain spiritual gifts to enable us serve Him.
God knows what those good works are and will lead us to them. He works with and through us. When we face trials, we just look back at our salvation and remember the good works He has designed for us to do. We trust Him and move on. Whatever God wants us to do are good works. Sharing the gospel is a good work, working in the bank is a good work. A mother taking care of the children is a good work. In fact, whatever you do is a good work, as long as it is pleasing to God and gives Him glory.
In doing the good work, we must realise that our strength does not come through our own willpower but through Christ in us. Good works are not just our good efforts but our willingness to have Christ live out His life through our lives. As Christ lives in our lives, He wants us to continue doing good works as He did on earth. Apostle Paul says in Phil. 4:13NKJV, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
God has appointed our work before we were born. Therefore, it behoves us to search out for these good works whether big or small and be busy doing them. We need to meet with God each day seeking Him and His will. As we draw close to Him, He will reveal His plans to us.
We must realise that the enemy will oppose us as he did to Jesus Christ. The enemy always opposes the plans and will of God and tempts us to fail and displease God. Therefore, we must be vigilant always. He is always looking for someone to devour. We must never forget the He that is in us is greater than he that is outside.
Do not despise small beginnings or little assignments that God has given you. Many a time He trains and tests us with little assignments. If you are not faithful with little things how can you be trusted with big things? When you pass the tests, He will give you bigger assignments. Remember that David cared for sheep before he ruled the nation of Israel. He fought lions before he fought a giant named Goliath.
-Conduct free medical screening for Surulere Residents
Information on the utilisation of smartphones and other digital health devices for improved medication therapy management took the centre stage on Wednesday, at the Surulere Local Government Area Secretariat, as members of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) Lagos State branch, celebrated the association’s day in the 2019 Lagos PSN Scientific Week.
The 2019 Lagos AHAPN Day, which commenced with a walk against drug abuse, from the Surulere Secretariat round the Shitta environs, also featured free medical screening, and different health talks on the effective use of ICT for improved medication therapy management.
Members of the Lagos State AHAPN during a walk against drug abuse at Surulere.
Top among the dignitaries that graced the programme were: Dr Moyosore Adejumo, director of Pharmaceutical Services, Lagos State: Pharm. Bolanle Adeniran, chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria(PSN) Lagos State Chapter; Dr Rahamat Odesesan, medical officer of health, Surulere LGA; Pharm. Titilayo Onedo, chairman, Lagos AHAPN; Pharm. Modupe Oyawole, deputy director of Pharmaceutical services, LASUTH, among others.
Speaking at the event, Adejumo appreciated the Surulere residents for turning out en mass for the programme, while she solicited their support for the new administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, noting that one of the ways of showing their loyalty to him is by keeping their environment clean to prevent diseases and promote healthy living.
The number one pharmacist in Lagos also urged the people to always pay close attention to their health in that once they discover any strange development in their bodies, they should promptly visit the nearest primary health centre, and desist from self medication, because prevention is better than cure.
L-R: Dr Rahamat Odesesan, medical officer of health, Surulere LGA; Dr Moyosore Adejumo, director of Pharmaceutical Services, Lagos State; Pharm. Modupe Oyawole, deputy director of Pharmaceutical services, LASUTH; Pharm. Kola Sumonu, publicity secretary, Lagos PSN, at the programme
For the Lagos PSN chairman, her speech was centred on the roles and identification of a pharmacist in the hospital, while she enlightened them on how they can differentiate a pharmacist from a doctor or a nurse.
Addressing the participants earlier, Pharm. Onedo, expressed the association’s delight with the people while explaining reasons for their visit to the area. She said they were there to educate people on how to use their smartphones for proper management of their health, as there are many things they can do with their smartphones than chatting.
“There is so much to be done with information technology, a lot of us have this technology but we don’t know the benefit of what they can do for us. For instance, most people carry smartphones and they don’t know its usefulness than just to receive calls. We are here today to tell them that with smartphones, one can access so much information, on social media and other useful sites.
One of such beneficial platforms to visit is the newly created Hospital Pharmacist Facebook page, called “Talk to your Pharmacist”. It was created because there are lots of misinformation out there about medication use and we want to use the Facebook page to engage the community to be able to disseminate the appropriate information on medication use.
Commenting on the theme of the programme, “ICT in medication therapy management”, Onedo noted some available ICT tools that can be used by individuals for health management. “There is the digital blood pressure monitoring device, even the glucose monitoring device is very important to have. You don’t need to get to the hospital like it use to be in those days, where if you don’t get to the hospital, you cannot know your glucose level, if one has diabetes or high blood pressure .
“If you monitor in your home by yourself, it makes one to be more discipline and it makes you to be able to take charge of your own health. In fact it will enable you can check the things that you are doing that you are not meant to do, if you wait till when you get to the hospital to do these test, it is counterproductive”, she stated.
Pharm. (Mrs) Yewande Olorunshola, chairman planning committee, noted the improvement made on the 2019 AHAPN Day compared with the previous ones, as they have taken a step further in latching on to digital technology with the live streaming of the programme for public view through Facebook.
“The theme of this year is leveraging on digital technology to impact our practice as well as our patients. Now you can stream the programme live, even for our colleagues that are not here, and those ones that are in America can now follow us through our Facebook page.
Now we are expecting people to ask questions, and we will send the answers to their individual me messengers. We want employ the use of ICT on drug therapy to improve patient healthcare and also to improve pharmacy practice.Now that we are online, we can interact with colleagues all over the world, latest drugs and their side effects.
Other speakers who spoke on different health talks at the programme include: Pharm.(Mrs) Oyinlade Kehinde; Pharm. Chris UPharm (Mrs) Modupe Oyawola: Pharm. Kingsley Okwunife; Pharm.Bolaji Oguntimeyin and Pharm.Ayo Olaniyi.
NHC Pharmaceuticals, one of the prominent wholesale and distributions outlets in the country, has opened up a new branch in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Sequel to the official commissioning ceremony, several pharmacists, close friends, professional colleagues and community pharmacists in Ogun States have continued to inundate NHC Pharmaceuticals with felicitations and goodwill messages.
Speaking at official opening of the company’s new premises in Ita Oshin area of Abeokuta, Ogun State on 8 August 2019, Pharm. Lawrence Aiyelabola, chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Ogun Chapter, thanked the management of NHC Pharma for siting the new branch in the state.
L-R: Pharm. Oyesunlola Okunuga, chairman, Ogun State chapter of Association of Lady Pharmacists (ALPs); Pharm. Lawrence Aiyelabola, chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria(PSN) Ogun Chapter; Pharm. Rotimi Ogunbande, founder of Fontana Pharmacy, Ogun State; Pharm. Laide Soetan, managing director of NHC Pharma; Adeniyi Soetan, husband; Khadijah Junaid, managing director, Deft Consult and Solomon Kigbu, resident pastor, Dunamis Church at the official unveiling ceremony of the new outlet in Abeokuta.
“The company’s presence has helped our members, especially those in community pharmacy tremendously. Of course, we know drugs not properly handled are open to abuse and pose a security risk to the population,” he noted.
Aiyelabola disclosed that aside giving prompt attention to customers’ complaints, NHC Pharma has displayed a high level of professionalism so far.
“It is no longer secret that most licensed wholesalers don’t strictly follow what is written on their licenses. Most combine retail with wholesale and even veer into importation.
“But NHC Pharma is different. She has remained steadfast in her calling and doing exploit in that regard. Besides, I am happy the management took my advice to site the branch in Ogun,” he commended.
The PSN chairman also used the opportunity to beckon on National Assembly to pass the protracted Pharmacy Bill adding that Nigerians need it for germane reason.
In a similar development, Femi Soremekun, managing director, Biofem Pharmaceuticals has applauded Pharm. Laide Soetan, managing director of NHC Pharma, noting that he was highly impressed with her level of discipline.
It would be recalled that the NHC boss was a former regional manager at Biofem before she found her calling in wholesale and cold chain business.
Soremekun further explained that the reason he kept checking up on Soetan from time to time was to ensure she does not repeat the mistakes that many pharma owners had made in the past.
“I am so happy for her because she has learned from the experiences of others. Today’s business world is undergoing disruptive technological advancement and I would need us all to be proactive in that regard.
“Now that we have started having the likes of Konga, Jumia and other ecommerce making foray into community pharmacy, it is only a matter of time before they take over the retail space,” he warned.
Pharm. Laide Soetan showing guests around the new outlet
The Biofem boss urged pharmacies in the community not to look at the newly commissioned wholesale & pharma logistics outlet as competitor.
“Being a wholesale business, NHC Pharma is here to serve you. Therefore, let us come together and patronise her,” he canvassed.
Pharm. Oyesunlola Okunuga, chairman, Ogun State chapter of Association of Lady Pharmacists (ALPs) seemed to be in agreement with his view when she declared that NHC Pharma is looking every inch what a standard wholesale outlet should look like.
Still in congratulatory mood, Pharm. Babajide Giwa, Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Ogun State branch, announced that his members are happy with the location of the new company.
Aside from seeing it as a welcome development, the pharmacist said that NHC Pharma has provided an alternative to the chaos that exists in the drug distribution in the State.
“It is pleasurable listening to Pharm. Femi Soremekun talk about disruptive technology because it is the future. A time will come when most of our acquired knowledge would become irrelevant in another five to ten years.
“This was exactly how the introduction of GSM has revolutionised our thinking, business and way of life. Once again, I congratulate NHC Pharma on this landmark,” he enthused.
Another member of ACPN, Pharm. Rotimi Ogunbande, founder of Fontana Pharmacy, Ogun State however declared that it is not yet uhuru as there is still room for improvement.
He reminisced that his first experience at the annual FIP event exposed him to the wide gap between the state of development in Africa and the West.
“I was astounded by what I saw. While you are here deliberating on the need to computerize pharmacies nationwide, we saw robots collecting prescription and dispensing drugs. That is the power of disruptive technology.
“I like Laide as a person because she is daring and stops at nothing until she hits her target. Are you still surprised seeing even her former boss (Soremekun) coming all the way from Lagos just to honour her invite?” he noted.
The secretary of the Ogun State chapter of Nigerian Association of Patent Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPP-MED) was not left out in the encomiums.
While referring to the management as partner-in-progress, Mrs Ouwaseun Ayan, representative of NAPP-MED described the siting of NHC Pharma in Ogun State as a welcome development.
“I have known Laide for a long time but didn’t realise she is the owner of NHC until today. As someone said earlier, we are together and shouldn’t be seen trying to compete against one another,” she urged.
In appreciation of the felicitations and goodwill messages, Pharm. Olaide Soetan reiterated the fact that NHC Pharma is solely into wholesale distribution and has no intention of competing with the same retail outlets she ought to service. Ideally, your wholesaler should be an extension of your back office and help to strengthen your practice and that is what NHC intends to deliver.
“I want to specially thank the PSN chairman of Ogun State (Aiyelabola) for encouraging me to reach the decision to come to Ogun State. It is a dream that has come true. My sincere appreciation to my former boss (Soremekun) for also coming all the way,” she said.
Reminiscing, Soetan explained how she approached him one day and declared her intention to leave and start her business.
According to her, the Biofem boss gave his support and helped in shaping the outlook of the business by encouraging me to set myself apart by offering something different to the teeming customers who have for long been shortchanged by the traders they have been patronising.
“Even when I opened my first wholesale outlet in Ogba Lagos, he kept checking to see how I was doing. Thank you very much for all you have done for me sir”.
“I also want to thank and reassure those who have been applauding our prompt delivery and customer service so far in this community that our best has not come yet. In fact, NHC Pharma is just starting,” she reassured.
Soetan also counselled the community pharmacists in attendance to adopt the principle of Just in time ordering, a concept made popular by Toyota to reduce waste and increase efficiency of resources. This becomes more practicable when you have a wholesaler who has your interest at heart and partners with you to prevent over-stocking.
In her opinion, it is safer and wise to buy based on the demand for those products.
“Except those products are for everyday use, don’t bother to buy in volume. This is why we are here for you. In line with NHC motto – Adding Value, we also offer free sales workshop, collaboration, accounting training, social media training and several other initiatives geared at helping our customers run their businesses better,” she stressed.
The expansive office was declared open by the Chairman of Fontana Pharmacy Ijebu Ode, Pharm Rotimi Ogunbande.
Rising from its 2019 Scientific Week programme, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Lagos State chapter, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria, to constitute a Presidential Committee on Drug Distribution in Nigeria, with the responsibility of developing a sustainable reform in the business of patent medicine vending in the country.
The committee, according to the Chairman, Lagos State PSN, Pharm. (Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran, will also have the obligation of enforcing the spirit of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG), with particular emphasis on strategies to attain closure of drug markets and achieve the movement to Co-coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWC) now approved in seven city centres of Nigeria.
Lady pharmacists reciting the Phamacy Anthem at the programme.
She further noted that such a committee, which must operate within a timeline, will ensure the passage of the Pharmacy Bill 2017 into an Act of parliament that will rescue Pharmacy practice from extinction.
Adeniran, who made this submission on behalf of the association, during her speech at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Lagos PSN Scientific Week, held at the PSN Secretariat, Ogudu GRA, said patent medicine vending, was introduced to bridge the gap in service rendition to people living in under-served areas, but since it is becoming a threat to practicing pharmacists with endless means of easy access to all categories of medicines, from OTCs to PIMs and other dangerous drugs, it is high time the mechanised is reformed.
Speaking on the theme of the Scientific Week: “Leveraging Digital Technology for Improved Patient Care and Safety- A Disruptive Innovative Approach”, the keynote speaker, Pharm. Inusa Bello, executive director, NTEL, x-rayed the gaps in the Nigerian health sector, which can be bridged by modern digital tools, if only practitioners would take advantage of the tools to upgrade their practice.
L-R: Pharm. Chris Ehimen, chairman of the occasion; Pharm. (Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran, chairman, PSN, Lagos State chapter; Pharm. (Mrs) Yemisi Olalere; and Pharm. Samuel Adekola, national chairman, ACPN, at the event.
A pragmatic Bello, who displayed his dissatisfaction with the performance of his colleagues on leveraging social media platforms for upscaling of their practice, said after conducting his research on the use of internet in Nigeria, it showed that pharmacists have a long way to go in catching up with the trend on social media for their professional development.
Although there are negative disruptions on the internet, which may be scaring some professionally– minded people from its usage, Bello explained that that is not enough excuse for pharmacists to abstain from social media usage, as it has a lot of benefits to offer, regarding pharmacist-patient relationship and engagement.
L-R: Chief Yetunde Moroundiya; Pharm. Ejiro Foyibo, deputy president south, PSN; Pharm. Deji Osinoiki; and Pharm. Inusa Bello, executive director, NTEL, and keynote speaker, at the 2019 Lagos PSN Scientific Week official opening ceremony.
The NTEL boss thus challenged his associates to do away with their conservative orientation and embrace modern digital tools like e-prescription system, telecare, automated dispensing, bulk sms, and adherence monitoring devices, for the uplifting of their practice in the face of disruptive technology.
Bello also encouraged the pharmacists to get out of their comfort zones and meet the patients where they are in order to profitably engage them for result-oriented discussion, while they can continue their discussion on social media platforms.
He further highlighted strategies that could be employed by community pharmacists to encourage clients’ patronage, such as awareness visit to different associations to enlighten them on the roles of pharmacists in the healthcare team, provision of free services for the benefits of clients, etc.
Also speaking at the event was the Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) Pharm. NAE Mohammed, who noted that the theme was a contemporary one which stimulates interest and draws attention on how they can deploy digital technology to ensure patients unhindered access to safe, quality and efficacious drug and solve drug therapy problems.
Mohammed, who was represented by Pharm. Yemisi Olalere, highlighted various ways through which the PCN is also leveraging digital technology in the implementation of her regulatory and monitory roles. They include: Introduction of e-registration for pharmacists and pharmaceutical premises; Online access to the Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD) programmes; Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping of pharmaceutical premises; Development of digital based quality assurance and quality improvement tools.
The PCN registrar however noted that most of these initiatives are yet to be completed, while the institution needs fund to complete.
The highpoint of the event was the presentation of Community Service Awards, Young Pharmacy Service Award, Academic Pharmacy Service Award to deserving members, with the endorsement of Amatem-Softgel, as an antimalarial of choice by the state branch.
As institute confers Akpa, Momodu, Dogara, 109 others with Fellowship
L-R: Prof. Olukunle Iyanda, president, Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) presenting the Life Membership award to Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, managing director of Pharmanews.
In recognition of his contributions to the professional association, the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered) has conferred a Life Membership award on Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, managing director of Pharmanews and seven others, just as two other top pharmacists made its Fellowship list at the 2019 Awards, Fellows & Spouses Day Luncheon.
The glitzy ceremony which took place on 22 August 2019 at the Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos attracted the crème de la crème of the country’s top professionals from all walks of life.
In his welcome address, Prof. Olukunle Iyanda, president of the institute explained that those being conferred with Fellowship grade have successfully survived the painstaking and rigorous scrutiny of their management career and contribution.
A group photograph of the eight recipients of the Life Membership award and top NIM officials.
“To have been found worthy for the most prestigious grade of Fellow of the NIM is a great honour and recognition of which anyone should be proud. I also congratulate eight of our elder statesmen who were conferred with the Life Membership Award at this ceremony.
“Life membership is conferred on members who have attained the age of 70, financially up-to-date in payment of their subscription and adjudged to have participated and contributed significantly to NIM activities over the years,” he noted.
Aside Atueyi, the remaining seven personalities who bagged Life Membership included Prof. Fola Lasisi, president, Nigeria Academy of Engineering (NAEng); Sir William Eghobamien, pioneer staff, Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA); Chief (Mrs) Mary Idehen, retired school administrator; Mrs Ijeoma Ohaeri, retired town planner; Mr Felix Ohiwerei, former chairman of Nigerian Breweries Plc; Mr Samuel Odukoya, veteran auditor and Chief Joshua Ogunbayo, former manager of the defunct Nigerian Airways.
L-R: Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, managing director of Pharmanews and Dr (Mrs) Rametu Momodu, head, herbal & nutraceuticals, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) shortly after receiving her Fellowship award.
In the Fellowship category, two eminent pharmacists, Pharm. (Mrs) Christiana Akpa, general manager / head of medical division, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Dr (Mrs) Rametu Momodu, head, herbal & nutraceuticals, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), made the 112 list.
Which of the following statements concerning potassium channel openers is true?
a) These agents decrease transmembrane calcium current associated in a smooth muscle with long-lasting relaxation and in a cardiac muscle with a reduction in contractility
b) These agents has a moderate reflex and vascular dilative action caused by the stimulation of sensitive nerve endings
c) Beneficial effects of these agents are related primarily to their hemodynamic effects – decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and contractility – which decrease myocardial oxygen requirements at rest and during exercise
d) These agents increase the permeability of K channels, probably ATP-dependent K channels, that results in stabilizing the membrane potential of excitable cells near the resting potential
For anyone working in the health sector, information about Nigerian pharmaceutical companies is key, as it is a gateway to getting authentic and direct pharmaceutical products supply without hassle.
This explains why Pharmanews, YourGlobal Health Journal embarked on the compilation of pharmaceutical companies information for the ready use of stakeholders and researchers, both locally and internationally.
Information about Pharmaceutical Companies in Nigeria
The list is great resource designed to serve as a reference material for pharmacists, government officials, consultants, business administrators, investors and prospective local and international participants in the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry.
Below are some of the pharmaceutical companies, but the full list consist of all pharmaceutical companies, faculties of pharmacy, community pharmacies, pharma associations and councils in Nigeria.
NAME OF COMPANY
HEAD OFFICE ADDRESS
YEAR STARTED
DIRECTORS
MANAGEMENT TEAM
SOME KEY PRODUCTS/ MAJOR BRANDS
OVERSEAS AFFILIATION
PHONE NUMBERS
EMAILS
WEBSITE
Afrab Chem Limited
Address: 22 Abimbola Street, Isolo Industrial Area. Lagos — Nigeria.
1968
Malik Shahin (Managing Director)
Ahmed Aburizeq (General Manager Operations), Okwuobi Patrick N (GM / Sales), Idowu Solomon (GM Finance), Folorunso Olaniyi S (Quality Assurance Manager), Olaiya Taibat (Regulatory Manager), Ezediunor C. Anthony (GM / CS, HR),Tijani Olalekan (Material Manager), Okpe Fransisca (Production Manager), Okeke Ruphina (Registration Manager), Adeku Emmanuel (Administrative Manager), Adegbite Bamidele (Maintenance Manager), Hassan Bose (Office Manager)
Stallion Laboratories Pvt. Ltd India, Aurochem Laboratories Pvt. Ltd India, Olive Healthcare Ltd, India, Kistrel Medical Ltd, India International Health, Usa, Swiss Gam ice Pvt Ltd India, Daysah Ventures
Phone: 08075890248. 01-8829920, 08075890245,
Email: info@baratang.com
Website: www.baratang.com
BCN Pic
3/5 Sapara Street, Industrial Estate, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.
1991
Prof. E. M. Essien (Chairman), Prof. H. A. B. Coker (Director), Mr A. Y. Ahmed (Managing Director).
Mr A. Y. Ahmed (Managing Director), Mrs M. E. Suberu (GM-Hcm/Admin), Mr O. A. Akinsunbo (Quality Assurance Manager), Mr Jahswill Oberebe (National Sales Manager).
For everyone that studied Pharmacy in any university in Nigeria, and also intend to get a licence in Pharmacy, there is a need for he or she to do a compulsory one year internship.
The major reason for all this is to develop the thinking and research skill of the student to focus on pharmaceutical care of the patients.
Image of the PCN logo
Listed below are the current internship training centres approved by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN).
HOSPITALS
S/N
NAME OF CENTER
ACCREDITATION
STATUS
YEAR OF
RECOMMENDATION
1
Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, Zaria
Full Accreditation
2010
2
Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital, Kaduna
Provisional Accreditation
2010
3
Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital, T/Wada, Kaduna
Provisional Accreditation
2010
4
44, Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Kaduna
Provisional Accreditation
2010
5
National Ear Care Centre, Kaduna
Provisional accreditation
2010
6
Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano
Full Accreditation
2010
7
National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dala, Kano
Full Accreditation
2010
8
Mohammed Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, Nasarawa, Kano
Provisional Accreditation
2010
9
Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kofar Mata, Kano
Provisional Accreditation
2010
10
Federal Medical Center, Katsina
Provisional Accreditation
2010
11
General Hospital, Katsina
Provisional Accreditation
2010
12
Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital B/Kebbi
Provisional Accreditation
2010
13
Federal Medical Center, B/Kebbi
Provisional Accreditation
2010
14
General Hospital, Dutse
Provisional Accreditation
2010
15
Federal Medical Center, B/Kudu
Provisional Accreditation
2010
16
Usman Danfodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto
Provisional Accreditation
2010
17
Federal Medical Center, Gusau
Full Accreditation
2010
18
Federal Medical center, Gombe
Full Accreditation
2010
19
State Specialist Hospital Gombe, Jekadafari
Full Accreditation
2010
20
Specialist Hospital, Jolly Nyame Way, Jalingo
Full Accreditation
2010
21
Federal Medical Center, 1. Hospital Road, Jalingo
Full Accreditation
2010
22
Federal Medical center, Yola. Lamido Zubairo Way
Full Accreditation
2010
23
Specialist Hospital, Yola
Full Accreditation
2010
24
University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Bama Road, Maiduguri.
Full Accreditation
2010
25
Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Federal Low-cost Housing Estate, Maiduguri.
Full Accreditation
2010
26
State Specialist Hospital Maiduguri, Shehu Laminu Way, Maiduguri.
Full Accreditation
2010
27
UmaruShehu Specialist Hospital, Bulumkutu Ward, Jos Road, Maiduguri
Full Accreditation
2010
28
Specialist Hospital, Bauchi
Full Accreditation
2010
29
Federal Medical Centre, Azare
Full Accreditation
2010
30
General Sanni Abacha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu, Gujba Road, Damaturu
Provisional Accreditation
2010
31
State Hospital, Ede Cottage Area, Ede
Full Accreditation
2010
32
State Hospital Asubiaro, Osogbo
Provisional Accreditation
2010
33
ObafemiAwolow University Teaching Hospital, Ilesha Rd, Ile- Ife
Provisional Accreditation
2010
34
Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital, Idi-seke, Osogbo
Resident doctors at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba (FNPHY), Lagos, are continuing their indefinite strike over shortage of medical personnel in the hospital.
The decision to continue the strike which began July 31 was announced in a press statement on Wednesday.
“The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital (FNPHY) decided to continue the indefinite strike following their resolution at a Congress held on August 19,” the statement said.
It gave the sole reason for the strike as the shortage of resident doctors in the institution.
“The severe lack of doctors to provide seamless delivery of mental health service needs timely interventions of the management and stakeholders,” the statement said.
The doctors said the gross shortage of manpower has resulted in huge workload, following the mass exodus of doctors from the hospital.
Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES, FNPHY ARD President, Azeez Enifeni, said his colleagues embarked on the strike over the shortage of resident doctors in the institution.
Mr Enifeni said the shortage has affected the remaining doctors and other professionals in the hospital as well as the patients and their families.
Resident doctors are doctors who already have a basic medical degree and are now working on a post-graduate degree.
They are often employed and trained by a hospital. They are the major hub of Nigeria’s tertiary hospitals as they are the ones who mostly attend to patients.
“The lack of employment of resident doctors has become a major challenge for service delivery in the institution. Doctors have been meeting with the management and governing board over time urging them to employ more doctors but they have not done so.
“Since 2014, there has been no major employment of resident doctors in the institution. Over 40 doctors have left only about 15 has been employed to replace those who left. We had about 67 resident doctors in the hospital in 2014, now we have only 33 doctors on ground. This is something that has been going on for a while. This is not acceptable as it is putting a strain on service delivery in the hospital.”
Mr Enifeni said the associations met with the management of the hospital and the governing board on several occasions but nothing much has been done about the problem.
He accused the management of not taking the problem seriously as it kept claiming that the employment of new doctors was being delayed by bureaucratic processes.
Mr Enifeni said if the management accepts the urgency of the problem it can speed up the process.
“The management is insensitive to the plight of the over 535 in-patients and 220 outpatients daily who now receive suboptimal, if not pernicious, mental health service in the 20 days that this industrial action has been allowed to fester without goal-directed interventions,” he said.
He said before the strike, a doctor was attending to an average of 50 patients a day.
“On a typical clinical day, we see an average of 200 patients, meaning a doctor sees about 50 patients. This has increased the waiting time for patients and also a heavy workload for all the staff.
“Clinics are expected to be between 9 a.m to 2 p.m, but due to the shortage of doctors it most times last till 6 p.m. Patients now have to spend the entire time in the hospital and this is unacceptable for doctors and other professionals in the hospital.
“The Hospital Management has blatantly refused to replace the annual exit of resident doctors for the past four years. Instead, they have let patient load and clinical work increase significantly for hapless resident doctors whose health and academic pursuits have suffered irreparably
“In light of the above, the Hospital Management’s insistence on employing only FIVE locum doctors is highly provocative of our demands. It hardly improves the status quo which already puts overworked resident doctors at the brink of academic failure, health challenges, and malpractice suits.”
Mr Enifeni said the association has resolved not to resume until the management employs or takes steps to employ new resident doctors.
“We have resolved to continue our industrial action to insist on standard mental health care for our clients and quality work experience for our overworked doctors, until such a time the Hospital Management deems it fit to meet our singular demand.
“Until we see that concrete steps with evidence are taken, we will not be resuming. We are also calling on Nigerians, relevant stakeholders and the presidency to prevail on the Hospital Management to do the needful. He said.
But the hospital management said the hospital has been doing what it can to resolve the issue.
The spokesperson of the institution, Philomena Omoike, in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES said the hospital has 37 resident doctors and 20 consultants.
Ms Omoike said the management has applied for approval to employ new resident doctors.
“We cannot go ahead until we get the approval before employing new doctors.”
She said the shortage was as a result of doctors leaving before finishing their programme, which she said is having a negative effect on the institution.
“The management has spoken with them, held three or four meetings with them and they are trying to find a solution,” she said.
a) A lipoprotein that contains relatively small amounts of cholesterol and triglycerides and is associated with a decreased risk of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. It is also called alpha-lipoprotein
b) A lipoprotein containing a very large proportion of lipids to protein and carrying most cholesterol from the liver to the tissues
c) A lipoprotein that contains relatively high amounts of cholesterol and is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. It is also called beta-lipoprotein
d) Large lipoprotein particle that is created by the absorptive cells of the small intestine. It transports lipids to adipose tissue where they are broken down by lipoprotein lipase
A renowned industrialist has declared that the only way a nation can grow, particularly in this clime (Nigeria), is to completely stop being dependent on foreign goods.
In a recent interview withPharmanews, Mr Oluwatosin Jolayemi, managing director, Daily-Need Industries described the Nigerian pharmaceutical industry as a growing market that is in dire need of policies that will help the industry to grow.
He was however quick to add that it also depends on the side of the industry we are looking at.
“Whether in the area of pharmaceuticals or pharma manufacturing, the only way a nation can grow, particularly in this clime, is to stop being dependent on foreign goods.
“And the easiest way to stop this is simple. Unless local capacity is exhausted, government should not allow importers to bring in products that could be produced locally,” he emphasized.
To further drive home his point, the Daily-Need boss made an exemption to the rule by indicating that some drugs could be granted a waiver.
“However some products that we don’t have capacity to produce or cannot be manufactured in the country can be exempted pending the time we have investors in those areas.
“Until when the policies of NAFDAC, Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigerian government as a whole favour our manufacturing industries, we cannot begin to talk about growth. We are just going to be talking about traders and volumes growth which does not necessarily mean growth,” he opined.
Described as a pharmaceutical giant, Daily-Need Industries has been in operation since 1972 when it started out as Paulina Cosmetics. However its pharmaceutical section did not kick-off until 10 years later.
When asked to comment on the experience so far, Jolayemi grinned and took his time responding.
“You asked me earlier about the experience of running a pharma manufacturing company like ours. In truth, it is both sweet and sour. I believe that is essentially what life is all about. But take more of the sweet part and see how you can turn it into a sweet-and-sour sauce,” he teased.
It would be recalled that the management of Daily-Need Industries recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with World Wide Commercial Ventures (WWCV).
At the official partnership signing ceremony, which held WWCV’s head office in Matori, Lagos, Jolayemi explained that the foremost pharmaceutical company felt the need to further create an in-route for smooth distribution of its products.
He disclosed that Daily-Need has taken a position that the only way to leverage, at least to a reasonable capacity, is to go into partnership with a logistics and distribution outfit that could give the company visibility, reach and a good market share.
Isa Marte Hussaini, a professor of Pharmacology and Fellow of the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm), has been appointed as a commissioner by the Borno State government.
Hussaini, who made the disclosure of his appointment to Pharmanewsonline.com, said he was among the Twenty-two nominees for the position who were cleared by the Borno State House of Assembly recently.
Addressing the youths of Borno State in an amateur video on Facebook, the newly appointed commissioner, who was speaking on behalf of the Governor of the state, Babagana Umara Zulum assured them of turning everything around for the better in the next four years.
Prof. Isa Marte Hussaini
As an erudite scholar and researcher, Prof. Hussaini has been at the forefront in the search and investigation of useful local medical plants for cancer treatment. In 2015, he presented one of his latest research findings to the Nigerian Academy of Science at the induction ceremony of Fellows in Abuja where he stated that some Nigerian herbal plants are more efficacious than the current drugs used in cancer treatments. Similarly, on 12 February 2016, he presented a lecture, titled “Exploitation of medicinal plant compounds in the search for novel cancer therapeutic agents” in an event hosted by Professor Louise Serpell through the Sussex Nigerian Society, University of Sussex Genome Damage and Stability Centre, UK.
For his outstanding contributions to cancer research in Nigeria, Prof. Hussaini was made a Fellow of Nigeria Academy of Science in 2013 and in November 2015, he was made a Fellow of Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy. He became a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in 2016. He is also a founding member of the International Society of Neuro-Oncology (SNO).
The renowned scholar has, to his credit, 105 peer-reviewed journal publications and five book chapters which have been cited over 3,200 times by other researchers worldwide. Prof. Hussaini has spoken at over 20 international conferences and symposia and he has been invited as a guest lecturer in many universities throughout the world.
The management and staff of Pharmanews join his family, friends and associates to wish him a successful tenure ahead.
Members of the Association of Lady Pharmacists (ALPs) Lagos State branch, have enlightened residents of Mainland Local Government Area on the importance of leveraging digital technology for the promotion of wellness and healthy living.
The lady pharmacists, who were celebrating ALPs Day in the Annual Lagos State PSN Scientific Week, on Tuesday, took turn to teach participants at the health programme on different health talks such as the usage of mobile technology for healthy living; Meet your pharmacist; Hygiene; Healthy nutrition & exercise; Drug abuse and misuse.
In her welcome address, the chairperson of the occasion, Prof. Olukemi Odukoya expressed her delight with the choice of the theme of the programme: ”Promoting wellness and healthy lifestyle, using tools of information, education, counsel ling, screening, and referrals”, saying it was apt as things keep evolving every day.
L-R: Lagos ALPs vice-chairperson, Pharm. Nsese Mfon;Pharm. (Chief) Yetunde Morohundiya; Prof. Olukemi Odukoya, chairman of the occasion; and Pharm. Glory Ukwuoma, reciting the ALPs anthem at the programme.
The Professor of Pharmacognosy urged the participants to be very attentive to all the lectures, because most diseases don’t kill suddenly, not even cancer, provided there is early diagnosis and presentation in the hospital. Thus, she encouraged them to always pay attention to any strange development in their bodies and report same to their healthcare givers immediately, for proper attention.
Speaking on the topic: “Leveraging digital technology for improved patient care and safety” the keynote speaker, Pharm. Aderonke Olowu explained how technological advancement has changed the mode and manner of doing things in the world, particularly how it has made life easy for people, even in Africa.
She further highlighted how lack of exercise has impacted several people negatively unknowingly, while they go through their daily busy schedules, without remembering to engage in exercise. However, she noted that there are mobile applications that can be easily installed on mobile phones to monitor vital signs and even count steps daily.
Members of Lagos State ALPs in a group photograph, with the former PSN national secretary, Pharm. Gbolagade Iyiola, (right) at the event.
Olowu listed some of the mobile applications that can be latched on to for this purpose to include: Hydration App, Speedometer, Step counter, Track it, Calories burner, Sleep time, Walkout, Glucometer, 30 Day lose weight, etc.
She stated that all these applications can be easily used by the people without the help of a doctor, but they can show the report of the test to their doctors anytime they visit the hospital.
In her contribution, the Chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Lagos State, Pharm. (Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran expressed the position of the association to the high rate of sudden death in Nigeria, saying the spate of premature death in the country due to preventable diseases is what informed the decision of the group to come and educate them on how to use modern technology to promote healthy living.
A cross section of participants listening to health talk at the programme.
Adeniran, who spoke extensively on the status of pharmacists in the community and hospital, as drug experts and manufacturers, urged them to always cooperate with pharmacists, during drug counselling in the hospital and community pharmacies.
She specifically enlightened them on how to differentiate a pharmacist from a doctor or nurse in the hospital, and why they need to purchase their medicines from only registered and licenced pharmacies whenever they need to do so in the community.
Health talks bordering on different areas of health were presented by other members of the association including : Meet your pharmacist by Pharm. Omolara Ebitigha; Hygiene by Pharm. Oluyemi Onakoya; Healthy nutrition & exercise, by Pharm. Hafsof Agbabiaka; Drug abuse and misuse by Pharm. Seliatu Ohimor.
Speaking earlier in her opening remarks, the Chairperson, Lagos State ALPs, Pharm. Modupe Alli, appreciated all the participants and members of the association for making the 2019 ALPs Day a reality, noting that it is important to put all the lectures delivered at the programme into use for better health outcomes.
Alli, who was represented by the Lagos ALPs vice-chairperson, Pharm. Nsese Mfon, said people should endeavour to exercise regularly, as well as put their mobile phones into better use to enhance their wellness.
The Gombe State Government, in collaboration with the federal government, has secured N3.4 billion loan from the World Bank for use in checking malnutrition in the state.
Kamil Shoretire, National Project Manager, Accelerating Nutrition Result in Nigeria (ANRiN), stated this while fielding questions from newsmen on the sidelines of orientation workshop organized for stakeholders on the project in Gombe on Tuesday.
According to him, 12 states of the federation will benefit from 232 million dollars and Gombe State has secured 9.5 million dollars, which is equivalent to N3.4 billion.
He said the duration of the project is five years and it is expected that within that period, the burden of malnutrition among the Nigerian children will drastically reduce.
A baby suffering from malnutrition
According to him, about 15 million Nigerian children are malnourished and stunted and the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) shows that Nigeria has not made any remarkable improvement in terms of child nutrition.
“NDHS survey indicates that we have not made any remarkable improvement in terms of nutrition and this gives us the impression that we may have humanitarian crisis while we are not at war.
“With this project, we will increase the quality and utilisation of the package of nutrition services in Nigeria among under- five children,” he explained.
He said the project would also focus attention on mothers of adolescent children, lactating women, as well as create awareness on exclusive breast-feeding.
Shoretire also said ‘Infant and Young Child Feeding’ programme would be introduced and children under- five would be de-wormed.
According to him, pregnant women will also receive folic acid, iron and other important components of micro nutrients.
Suleiman Mamman, Project Manager, Gombe state, said the loan would attract 0.6 per cent interest and government would be repaying gradually.
He said the percentage of malnourished children in the state had been rising daily, from 46.6 per cent in 2018, to its current 50 per cent.
A mental health expert at St Louis Medical Centre, Lagos, Dr Omowumi Mosaku, has recently said that stress, taking drugs without prescription, failure to eat a balanced diet, can have serious consequences on mental alertness.
Stresshas been defined as the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. Alsothe body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses.
Mosaku, while speaking on the topic, ‘Mental alertness and productivity’ on Eko FM, last week, said since human thinking takes place in the brain, mental alertness allows one to be productive, adding that the level at which the brain can function is paramount to a person’s productive capacity.
“Mental illness doesn’t allow you to be very productive.” He said
Explaining further on mental illness, the health expert stated that since the illness has to do with everything one does, including thinking, and self perception, anything that will affect thinking capability and productivity can be classified as mental illness.
He noted that the risk factors for mental illness and lack of mental alertness could be biological, environmental or psychological.
Drug Abuse, Stress, Affect Mental Awareness
“Some are born like that. Prolonged labour could result in giving birth to a child with a brain defect. Substance abuse and sexual abuse could also affect peoples’ mental alertness. It eats deep into their subconscious and doesn’t allow them to function at the height of their capability.
“If people don’t eat well, it could affect their mental alertness. When you are deficient in some vitamins that aid the brain to functions well, it affects mental alertness,” Mosaku added.
The doctor also advised Nigerians to eat well and have enough rest, since stress is also a risk factor for mental illness.
“When you are tired, you can’t focus and you find yourself repeating something all over. You have a working time frame. When you get home prioritise your sleep. If need be, talk to a doctor. Find out what the problem is about and how it can be resolved. If the problem requires medication, it will be prescribed. Still, most times what some people need is someone to talk to,” He said.
In appreciation of his contribution to the society in less than nine month of his assumption into office, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, president, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has been voted as 2019 winner of Pharmalliance Leadership Award.
The award presentation which took place at the 11th edition of The Panel summit held at Classique Event Centre, Oregun, Lagos on 7 August, 2019.
L-R: Pharm. Bukky George, managing director, HealthPlus Pharmacy, presenting the Pharmalliance Leadership Award to Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, president, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) at the event.
Organised under the aegis of Pharmalliance Network, The Panel summit, has continued to enjoy rave reviews among young pharmacy professionals, community pharmacists and pharmaceutical giants like HealthPlus, Alpha Pharmacy, Biofem Pharmaceuticals, PharmacyPlus, New Heights, Sylken Pharma and Vanguard Pharmacy.
According to Pharm. Adeshina Opanubi, convener of the programme, recipients of such award are usually pharmacy professionals who have passed through the leadership rank of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP), National Association of Pharmacists in Academia (NAPA) as well as Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN).
He further explained that The Panel is an annual summit aimed at bringing innovation into retail pharmacy business across Africa.
R-L: Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, president, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) presenting a sculptured-portrait to Dr Leo Stan Ekeh, keynote speaker at The Panel 2019 programme.
In other categories, Pharm. Chiedu Mordi, immediate past chairman, PSN Board of Fellows, clinched Pharmalliance Retail Legend Award and Pharm. Hakeem Ikolaba, founder, Pill Box Pharmacy won Pharmalliance Retail Inspiration Award. The Moxie YPG Challenge produced three winners – Pharm. Tosin Adeyemi (N250, 000), Kester Onwuka (N150, 000) and Israel Oni (N100, 000).
Pharm. Amaju Ezenduka clinched the four-day luxury ticket to Dubai (courtesy of Reload Multivitamins) while Vicamen Pharmacy was announced as the lucky winner of Ford SUV on display at the event.
In his keynote delivery, Dr Leo Stan Ekeh, founder of Zinox Technologies challenged participants to always innovate instead of seeking to duplicate somebody’s products.
Speaking on the theme, ‘Disrupt or be disrupted,’ Ekeh encouraged pharmacists to learn to anticipate the future.
While narrating his journey to the top in the corporate world, the Zinox boss noted that it took him grit and gut to be where he is today.
“For every entrepreneur, your passion must pay your bill. Trying to associate yourself with most of these Nigerian billionaires will ruin you. Of course, many of you have seen how much they owe in the papers.
“What many of them do is to engage the media to package them as self-made billionaires to scam people abroad. This is why I keep saying we have serious leadership challenge in this country,” he bemoaned.
Aside keynote session, there were five clinical masterclasses facilitated by Prof. Anthonia Ogbera, consultant endocrinologist and Provost of LASUCOM and other seasoned healthcare professionals.
In addition to trends and shared intelligence that has become the trademark of The Panel programme, gifts and prizes were also won by participating delegates.
The sponsors at this year’s event included Business School Netherlands, Reckitt Benckiser, Pfizer, GSK, Molfix, Moxie, Nett Pharmacy, Bydow Pharmacy Bayer, New heights, Oakleaf, Servier, Johnson and Johnson, Janssen, Sanofi among others.
A recent study from American Heart Association’s Journal Circulation has shown that people who find it difficult to sleep may have a significant risk of coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke.
Researchers define Insomnia as a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling or staying asleep.
“Sleep is important for biological recovery and takes around a third of our lifetime, but in modern society more and more people complain of Insomnia,” said first author Qiao He, a master’s degree student at China Medical University, Shenyang, China. “For example, it is reported that approximately one-third of the general population in the world has suffered from Insomnia symptoms”.
Susanna Larsson, Ph.D., lead study author and associate professor of cardiovascular and nutritional epidemiology at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden explained that previous studies have found an association between Insomnia, which affects up to 30 percent of the general population, and an increased risk of developing heart disease and stroke.
Insomnia Could Lead to Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases
Larsson added that these observational studies were unable to determine whether Insomnia is a cause, or if it is just associated with them.
In this study on Insomnia, Larsson and a colleague applied Mendelian randomization, a technique that uses genetic variants known to be connected with a potential risk factor, such as Insomnia, to reduce bias in the results. The 1.3 million participants with or without heart disease and stroke were drawn from four major public studies and groups.
The result showed that genetic variants for Insomnia were associated with significantly higher odds of coronary artery disease, heart failure and ischemic stroke, particularly large artery stroke, but not a trial fibrillation.
“It’s important to identify the underlying reason for insomnia and treat it,” Larsson said. “Sleep is a behavior that can be changed by new habits and stress management.”
A limitation to this study is that the results represent a genetic variant linked to Insomnia rather than Insomnia itself. According to Larsson, it was not possible to determine whether or not the individuals with cardiovascular diseases had Insomnia.
A renowned Nigerian medical doctor, Professor Oluyinka Olutoye, who has distinguished himself in the field of paediatric surgery has been appointed as the Surgeon-In-Chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Ohio, United States.
Prior to this appointment, Olutoye had received much recognition for performing and mastering ground-breaking EXIT surgical procedure. Exit procedure or ex utero intrapartum treatment procedure is a specialised surgical delivery procedure used to deliver babies who have airway compression.
Also In 2016, Prof. Olutoye, became a global phenomenon when he led a team of doctors in the surgery that saved a 23-week old foetus from a life-threatening tumour. The team brought the baby (Lynlee Hope) out of the womb at 23 weeks old and removed a large tumor (Sacrococcygeal Teratoma) growing on her tail bone, after which they returned the foetus to its mother’s womb to complete the full gestation period of nine months. This feat has generated a worldwide recognition of the baby that was born twice.
These and several achievements of Olutoye and his team, no doubt, were what led to his new position as the surgeon-in-chief at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which is one of the largest and most comprehensive paediatric hospitals and research institutes in the United States.
Professor Oluyinka Olutoye, A Nigerian medical doctor
According to the Chief Medical Officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Richard J. Brilli, MD, Olutoye, a medical degree graduate from Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, will also be appointed professor and the E. Thomas Boles chair of pediatric surgery at The Ohio State University (OSU) College of Medicine.
Born in Lagos to the family of Major General (rtd) Olufemi Olutoye and Prof Omotayo Olutoye on January 15 1967, Olutoye has five siblings, two brothers and three sisters. And it was his childhood dream to become a medical doctor.
Prof. Olutoye’s quest for excellence began at an early age. As a son of a soldier and an academic mother, he was introduced to a life that placed emphasis on excellence during his formative years. He had his primary education at the Lagos University Staff School and his secondary education at King’s College Lagos.
After his medical education in Nigeria, he relocated to the United States for further educational opportunities. He started his postgraduate education in paediatrics at the Howard University General Hospital. He received his PhD in Anatomy from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, in 1996. He completed his residency in general surgery at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital, Virginia Commonwealth University, and had his fellowship in paediatric surgery at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the University Of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, USA.
When it comes to obesity, the first cause that comes to everyone’s mind is overeating, which is not far from the truth, but how this happens is what has not been revealed.
A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by a multi-institutional team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, US, reveals a previously unknown gut-brain connection that helps explain how those extra eating lead to weight gain.
Corresponding author Dr Makoto Fukuda, assistant professor of paediatrics at Baylor and the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Centre at Baylor and Texas Children’s Hospital, said “We have uncovered a new piece of the complex puzzle of how the body manages energy balance and affects weight.”
The study looked at mice consuming a high-fat diet, which increased their levels of gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), a gut hormone involved in managing the body’s energy balance.
The researchers found that excess GIP travels through the blood and into the brain, thus inhibiting the action of leptin, a satiety hormone that triggers the sensation of being full within the brain. Therefore, the mice continued to eat and gain weight.
The cause for obesity, over eating
The study added that blocking the link between GIP and the brain restored the leptin’s ability to subdue appetite and led to eventual weight loss.
“We didn’t know how a high-fat diet or overeating leads to leptin resistance,” Fukuda said.
“My colleagues and I started looking for what causes leptin resistance in the brain when we eat fatty foods. Using cultured brain slices in petri dishes we screened blood circulating factors for their ability to stop leptin actions. After several years of efforts, we discovered a connection between the gut hormone GIP and leptin.” She explained.
The first task the researchers had to complete was to figure out if GIP was involved in leptin malfunctioning. They did so by confirming that the GIP receptor, the binding molecule on cells that grabs hold of GIP and balances its effects, is expressed in the brain. They then experimented with blocking GIP receptors via a monoclonal antibody infusion within the brain. This experiment reduced body weight of obese mice.
“The animals ate less and also reduced their fat mass and blood glucose levels,” Fukuda said. “In contrast, normal chow-fed lean mice treated with the monoclonal antibody that blocks GIP-GIP receptor interaction neither reduced their food intake nor lost body weight or fat mass, indicating that the effects are specific to diet-induced obesity.”
“In summary, when eating a balanced diet, GIP levels do not increase and leptin works as expected, triggering in the brain the feeling of being full when the animal has eaten enough and the mice stop eating,” Fukuda continued. “But, when the animals eat a high-fat diet and become obese, the levels of blood GIP increase. GIP flows into the hypothalamus where it inhibits leptin’s action. Consequently, the animals do not feel full, overeat and gain weight. Blocking the interaction of GIP with the hypothalamus of obese mice restores leptin’s ability to inhibit appetite and reduces body weight.”
These findings show that GIP and its receptor in the brain’s hypothalamus, the area that regulates appetite, are needed and sufficient to evoke leptin resistance. More research is needed, however, researchers believe that these findings could be used to develop weight-loss strategies in the near future.
The Nigerian Society of Critical Care Nurses (NSCCN) in collaboration with World Federation of Critical Care Nurses (WFCCN) has scheduled her 15th National Scientific Conference / 7th Critical Care Congress NSCCN to hold from 30 September to 5 October, 2019, at the Abubakar Tafawa Belewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.
Themed: “Cardio-Pulmonary Emergencies: The challenging roles of a critical care nurse”, the conference will feature international speakers such as Prof. Adeyinka Adebayo, USA; Joy Henderson, USA; Josiah Yunane Dibal; Dr Jagila Wesley MD, USA, Dr Louisdon Pierre, Brooklyn USA; Jide Bankole, UK, and others.
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Some of the sub-themes for the conference include: Clinical manifestation and diagnosis of stress; Treatment of pulmonary hypertension in adults; Current trends in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, how to identify cardiac arrest; Evaluation and management of suspected sepsis and septic shock in adult; Heated and Humidified high flow of nasal oxygen, practical consideration and potential application, etc.
The feeling of lack of energy and motivation both physically and mentally otherwise called fatigue is normal, most especially as people get older. However when one begins to feel this way frequently, scientists have noted that it is an indication for developing stroke or heart attack in the nearest future.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health U.S, have found in a new study that becoming easily fatigued has more to do with a stroke or heart attack in years to come.
Explaining the meaning of fatigue, the study’s senior author, Jennifer Schrack said fatigue is a feeling of constant tiredness or weakness. She added that it is usually reported on a scale from 1 to 10 as “low energy,” which fails to give it context in relation to physical demand.
“Even if you’re exhausted because you have a newborn at home, this would be considered a very easy task. It should be very light exertion. When people think the effort is more than very light, that’s informative,” said Schrack, an associate professor in the epidemiology department at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore.
“What we’re seeing is that one symptom of cardiovascular risk is higher fatigability. So, if you’re tiring more easily, it could be connected to your cardiovascular health.”
Image of a man suffering from fatigue
According to the study, around 1.5 million people worldwide see their doctors about fatigue. Fatigue is a symptom, not a condition. For many people, fatigue is caused by a combination of lifestyle, social, psychological and general wellbeing issues rather than an underlying medical condition.
In order to affirm this claim, the researchers conducted an experiment using a pair of formulas to calculate the 10-year risk of heart disease or stroke in 625 people whose average age was 68. Then, after 4 to 5 years later, those participants had their so-called fatigability assessed with a simple test: an extremely slow walk. They walked for five minutes on a treadmill set at 1.5 mph.
The treadmill test made it easier to measure fatigue, which is normally subjective, researchers said.
According to the study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers found people with higher cardiovascular risk scores were more likely to report being tired faster. The study added that association was stronger among people who were obese and who had high blood pressure.
“What we’re seeing is that one symptom of cardiovascular risk is higher fatigability. So, if you’re tiring more easily, it could be connected to your heart health.” The researchers explained.
The study’s lead author, Yujia “Susanna” Qiao, a former graduate student at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, hoped that the findings raise awareness about the relationship between fatigability and heart disease, particularly among older adults.
In a related development, Dr Salim Virani, a cardiologist at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and a professor of cardiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston said that while the study found a higher association with obesity and high blood pressure, it did not consider sleep apnea and other risk factors associated with easy fatigability.
Schrack said people who notice their fatigue level increasing should start paying attention to cardiovascular risk factors.
“Is your blood pressure under control? Is your weight where it should be? These could be warning signs of problems that perhaps aren’t being properly treated,” she said.
“People don’t like to hear, ‘Eat right and exercise.’ These are two of the biggest pieces of public health advice, and we say it related to almost every condition. But it’s so true. People who are able to maintain their weight, maintain their activity level, tend to have less effects of fatigue and certainly less cardiovascular risk over time.” Schrack advised.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has commended one of her members, Dr Oludare Folajimi Adeyemi, for his new discovery and attainment of success in the treatment of the deadly prostate cancer in Nigeria.
Adeyemi, a consultant radiation oncologist, had recently employed a unique method of treating prostate cancer, called ‘brachytherapy’, to operate the condition on a patient, which recorded a huge success in the country.
Sequel to the breakthrough treatment, the NMA through her 2nd Vice President Dr Ofene Enang, commended Adeyemi for advancing the treatment of prostate cancer, in Nigeria.
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Enang, who said that the NMA is at the forefront of canvassing for reversal of medical tourism in the country, described radiation brachytherapy as new form of therapy in the treatment of prostate cancer.
In the same spirit of commendation, a US-based Oncologist, Dr Maghari, Rachid, noted that the breakthrough treatment was a blessing to Nigerians. He said this kind of innovation in the country will definitely put a limit to the spate of medical tourism, as it would boost patients’ confidence in the ability of Nigerian doctors to handle such conditions successfully.
Addressing pressmen in Benin City, Edo State, Adeyemi revealed that ‘brachytherapy’ is a unique form of treating the disease, especially as the new treatment is not only affordable but also less time consuming.
The oncologist noted that prostate cancer disease is the commonest cancer among men, adding that one out of every seven men are likely to develop the disease.
Adeyemi explained the uniqueness of the new treatment thus: “Although, there are other options of treating prostate cancer, but the brachytherapy method is very unique, accurate and it offers high degree of cure to the patient with prostate cancer, especially when it is done at the early stage of the disease.
“In this discovery of mine, what we do is to implant a radioactive inside the prostrate and right inside, the prostrate beginsto release radiations which end up killing the cells. It damages what we call DNA and when DNA is damaged, the cells cannot actually produce any longer.
“Over 10 patients have benefited from this new discovery of mine and the beauty of the brachytherapy treatment method is that it is done one time and between two to three hours, you are done and the patient can go home,” he said.
