May & Baker signs production agreement with NIPRD for sickle cell drug

Leading drug manufacturers in Nigeria, May & Baker Nigeria Plc has signed an agreement with the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) for commercial production of anti sickle cell drug, NAPRISAN.

The agreement was signed recently in Abuja by Mr Nnamdi Okafor, Managing Director/CEO May & Baker and the Acting Director-General of NIPRD, Professor Olabayo Kunle, in the presence of the Minister of Health Professor Isaac  Adewole.

The Federal Executive Council recently ratified the Memorandum of Understanding between NIPRD and May & Baker leading to the eventual signing of the commercialis ation agreement.

NIPRISAN is an anti sicklling formula discovered by NIPRD researchers several years back. Its commercialisation in Nigeria is expected to substantially relieve the sickle cell disease burden  which is responsible for the death of  hundreds of thousands of people in the country yearly   and has brought agony to many families.

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NIPRISAN is one of the few successful formulations  that has been acknowledged to treat the sickle cell anaemia. With its commercial production May & Baker will not only have added to her large  basket of successful  quality medicines but would set the blaze in encouraging local research into various medicines. This is expected to encourage researchers to do more work that would throw up local medicaments for the disease burden in Africa.

Speaking on the agreement, Mr Nnamdi Okafor , Managing Director/CEO May & Baker said that the company took on the task of producing NIPRISAN to provide succor to  many homes who have  been weighed down by the agony of sickle cell anaemia.  “ We expect this product to be a commercial success and a leading product of our company  as we intend to give it all the  attention required” he said.