Phamatex targets WHO-GMP approval – Quality is our watchword, says Chairman

pharmacy

The newly established Phamatex Industries Limited has expressed its commitment to getting the World Health Organisation (WHO) Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) prequalification approval for its products, as it commenced local manufacturing at its state-of-the-art factory in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

Chairman/CEO of the company, Prince Christopher Nebe, made the disclosure while receiving the Pharmanews team led by the Managing Director, Pharm. (Sir) IfeanyiAtueyi, which visited the new factory recently.

Speaking with Pharmanews in an interview after a tour of the factory, Nebe revealed that the watchword of the company was to consistently ensure quality in all its processes and to manufacture only high quality products of international standard, adding that from inception, quality assurance was the guiding principle, as the company procured machines and equipment for the factory.

“Quality was the only thing we considered,” he said.” We did not compromise on quality. We have set up a standard laboratory for the factory because we know that laboratory is the police of the factory…We procured all our equipment from the best companies around the world. We have been relating very well with NAFDAC and getting the agency’s approval for our products. We are committed to producing products of international standard and that is why we are going for WHO GMP prequalification.”

Prince Nebe also commended the Director General ofNAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, for the immense cooperation and support granted the company so far. DrOrhii, he said, had visited the factory and was impressed with what he saw. He added that the NAFDAC DG had also introduced Phamatex to WHO officials and that the company had started liaising with the global health body, even though WHO was yet to officially visit its factory.

The Phamatex boss also urged the federal government to support Nigerians going into local manufacturing, saying they were the ones contributing to the growth of the economy.

He disclosed that even though Phamatex factory was yet to commence production, the company had employed many Nigerians and had been paying them salaries for over two years.

“It is not easy to go into pharma manufacturing,” he stated.”You have to follow the process or else you will get it wrong. The process is what I call ‘start before you start.’ This means that you have to employ people to start doing things from the scratch and it takes time for them to get the process running.”

Nebe also bemoaned the fact that manufacturing industries in Nigeria have to individually generate power to run their factories, due to epileptic power supply from the national power holding firm, adding that his company had to make a huge initial investment for alternative source of power at the commencement of its operation.

Prince Nebe further disclosed that even though Phamatex started out to concentrate on local pharmaceutical manufacturing, the company, which debuted as an exclusive agent to Hovid Berhad (the leading pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Malaysia) in 1990, would continue its good relationship with Hovid in Nigeria by marketing its products, as it had done over the years.