The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has warned that the country is doomed and open to biological weapon attack if it continues to depend on imported drugs.

It, however, said a deliberate strategy to build partnership among pharmacy technical groups towards professional and national development had led to the development of new herbal medicines, which are ready for commercialisation.

The PSN President, Ahmed I. Yakasai, stated this yesterday in his address at the opening ceremony of the 91st yearly general conference of the Society in Ibadan, Oyo State.He said: “It is for me an emergency; as any nation which depends on imported drugs as Nigeria currently does, is doomed. If we were making our own drugs, the agencies would not be running helter skelter because of suspected human flesh in capsules.

“I am proud to announce that within one year of initiating this unprecedented partnership, two of our technical groups, the Nigeria Association of Pharmacists in Academia and the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria, have developed a new herbal cough syrup which I have the honour of presenting to you today for commercial exploitation.”

The outgoing PSN president stated that he had inaugurated a PSN technical working group, comprising of the PSN president, Secretary and the chairmen of the four technical groups to expand and strengthen the technical group collaboration as well as ensuring sustainability.

Besides, he said within his tenure, he created a forum for partnership between the Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and May & Baker as well as Fidson Nigeria Limited, which has led to the Federal Executive Council’s approval for commercial production of Niprisan as well as six other herbal medicines by May & Baker and Fidson Nigeria Limited respectively.

Niprisan is a new drug extracted from indigenous herbs that has been developed by the NIPRD for the prophylactic management of patients with sickle cell disease.