Building capacity for drug development process in Africa‒A workable model

Abstract

Background: Africa’s reliance on drug importation translates to disproportionate transfer of foreign exchange and incessant drug shortages, among other vices. Africans, therefore, need to build capacity in drug discovery, development and production. This article showcases a workable model with an innovative approach of teaching together personnel drawn from Nigeria's academia, pharmaceutical industry and medicine regulation agency. Method: Didactic training via postgraduate programmes was designed with hands-on experience in drug synthesis and production. Training and research objectives formed the core of activities. Result: The Centre for Drug Discovery, Development and Production (CDDDP), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan, was established through grant funding from the MacArthur Foundation. The Centre runs two postgraduate degree programmes, has graduated over forty students, organised four workshops, two international conferences, and translated scientific findings to over eleven finished products. In 2014, the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation Programme designated CDDDP a Regional Centre of Regulatory Excellence and since 2019, it has partnered with the United States Pharmacopeia to promote the quality of medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Conclusion: Capacity building in drug development processes in an LMIC has been developed with resultful outcomes and is proposed as a workable template for other LMICs.