Pharmacists tasks FG on local snake anti-venom production to curb cost, $12m imports

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on the federal government to prioritise local manufacturing of snake antivenoms to end the 2,000 preventable deaths recorded annually in the country.

In a statement following the tragic death of Ifunanya Nwangene, the Abuja singer, the association insisted that Nigeria must transition from a donor-dependent supply chain to a self-sufficient local production model to safeguard lives and meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 2030 target of halving snakebite-related fatalities.

Ambrose Eze, the ACPN National Chairman, noted that Nigeria currently spends nearly $12 million annually on imported vials and urged the government to invest the same in local manufacturing.

He further urged the government to approve the full inclusion of antivenoms under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to subsidise the ₦40,000 average treatment cost, which remains prohibitive for the average rural Nigerian.

While extending condolences to the family of the late Ifunanya Nwangene over what he described as a tragic and painful loss, the National Chairman warned that snakebite envenoming remains one of the most neglected public health emergencies in Nigeria.

He revealed that while the country records over 2,000 cases annually, approximately 1,700 Nigerians suffer permanent disabilities, including limb amputations, due to tissue necrosis and delayed access to care.

According to him, this crisis disproportionately affects the most vulnerable populations, such as the rural dwellers, subsistence farmers, herders, women, and children, who often reside far from functional health facilities and lack financial protection against catastrophic health expenditures.

Eze noted that the death of Nwangene at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, catalysed these demands. While FMC Abuja clarified that antivenom was administered, the ACPN maintained that the “referral trap and stock-outs in local facilities expose critical gaps.”

Eze emphasised that any delay, whether due to costs or lack of trained manpower, is the difference between life and death. He noted that despite the existence of national guidelines and the inclusion of antivenoms in the National Essential Medicines List (EML), the persistent rise in fatalities raises urgent questions about the accessibility of these quality-assured drugs.

Eze also stressed the need for sustained public education to discourage harmful traditional practices, such as the use of “black stones,” which cause fatal delays.