Just In: Emzor Pharmaceuticals To Build $23m API Facility In Sagamu
Emzor Pharmaceuticals has announced plans to construct a $23 million (approximately N25 billion) Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) facility in Sagamu, Ogun State, aiming to address the significant malaria threat in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.
The initiative was confirmed in a joint statement by Kunle Faloye, Head of Marketing and Strategy, and Uzoma Ezeoke, Executive Director of Emzor Pharmaceuticals. This API plant represents a major step forward in local production of essential pharmaceutical ingredients required for manufacturing anti-malarial drugs.
The new facility will not only enhance the anti-malarial supply chain but also expand the continent’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity. By contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims for healthier lives for all, Emzor’s initiative is set to protect millions of Africans from diseases and related disabilities.
Additionally, the project emphasizes financial inclusion and the health of pregnant women by producing APIs specifically for anti-malarial pharmaceuticals, including those designed for Intermittent Preventive Treatment during pregnancy.
Once completed, this will be Nigeria and Africa’s first anti-malarial API manufacturing plant, with an expected annual production capacity of 400 metric tonnes of high-quality APIs, significantly boosting the continent’s efforts against malaria.
In a related development, during the EU-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue last October, the European Investment Bank (EIB) pledged €14 million to support Emzor in establishing the first anti-malarial API manufacturing plant in Nigeria. This project aims to reduce Nigeria’s heavy reliance on imported APIs, which currently accounts for over 90% of its needs, by focusing on the production of affordable and high-quality anti-malarial medicines.
Emzor Pharmaceuticals has also partnered with India’s Mangalam Drugs and Organics Limited for technology transfer, training, testing, and initial production at the new facility.
