Angela Onwuzoo
Researchers at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, have stated that the institute is working towards boosting capacity for local vaccine and drug manufacturing through evidence-based clinical trials.
The researchers spoke during the October edition of the institute’s monthly media chat on Wednesday in Lagos, which highlighted the institute’s breakthroughs in HIV management, clinical trials, and cervical cancer prevention.
The scientists assured the local manufacturing of essential medicines would improve the country’s health sector as well as health outcomes.
They emphasised the need to strengthen clinical trial systems and ensure that research better serves patients and communities.
Drug manufacturers say Nigeria must look inward and find ways to fund research if it wants to put an end to its dependence on Europe and Asia for over 70 per cent of its drug needs.
According to them, Nigeria is lagging behind the world in the field of pharmaceutical research, adding that the nation has, for several years, depended almost totally on Europe, America, and even Asia for pharmaceutical inventions to treat old and new diseases.
The NIMR monthly media chat, according to the management, serves as a platform for highlighting ongoing research and new public health breakthroughs.
In a presentation which centred on clinical trials, a Deputy Director of Research and Consultant Public Health Physician, Dr. David Oladele, said NIMR had taken bold steps toward establishing a national clinical-trial network that would connect universities, teaching hospitals, and private-sector partners across the country.
Leading the media chat held at the institute’s Cancer Centre, Oladele told journalists that NIMR had long begun Phase I to IV clinical trials covering both infectious and non-communicable diseases, including studies on chronic kidney disease and hypertension interventions to reduce the country’s disease burden.
The researcher disclosed that NIMR’s Centre for Clinical Trials coordinates multi-site studies and also trains young investigators across West Africa—an initiative that strengthens the regional pool of clinical researchers.
According to him, the institute, established by the Act of 1972 to conduct research into diseases of public importance, is well equipped to lead multi-country studies with its state-of-the-art infrastructure, including a 10-bed clinical trial unit for early-phase pharmacokinetic studies.
Giving insight into how NIMR had deepened Nigeria’s biomedical research capacity, the public health physician disclosed that the institute was equipped with an ISO 15189-certified Central Research Laboratory, a secure biorepository and data centre for sample storage and digital monitoring, and an NHREC-accredited Institutional Review Board (IRB) that ensures strict ethical standards.
“NIMR can boast of a significant number of trained clinical investigators,” he said, adding that these capacities are designed to maintain NIMR’s position as a lead site for multi-country trials while serving as a regional training hub for emerging investigators”, he said.
Oladele traced NIMR’s two-decade legacy of conducting high-impact trials in partnership with local and international collaborators. These include studies on HIV treatment regimens, malaria drug efficacy, COVID-19 therapies, diagnostic validation, and the SIFCOVAN fractional COVID-19 vaccine trial, among others.
Through these studies, he stated that NIMR had helped shape treatment guidelines, strengthen public health policies, and improve access to modern medical interventions in Nigeria.
Oladele identified low health research literacy among the citizens, including policy makers, and poor funding as major challenges of clinical trials in Nigeria.
“There is an urgent need to strengthen research funding, improve research literacy among health workers and the public, and deepen industry collaboration.
“Nigeria must invest strategically in research infrastructure and partnerships to ensure sustainability and local ownership of clinical trials,” he said.
On his part, a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Clinical Sciences Department, Dr. Paschal Ezeobi, presented findings from a five-year collaborative project between NIMR and Emory University, USA, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
In his presentation, titled “Predictors of Antiretroviral Immune-Reconstitution Bone Loss Study (IRBL)”, Ezeobi highlighted the importance of the research, which focused on understanding the causes of bone mineral loss in people living with HIV who have been on long-term antiretroviral therapy.
The scientist explained that while ART had transformed HIV from a fatal disease into a manageable chronic condition, some patients experience reduced bone density and fractures as side effects of prolonged treatment.
“The study aims to identify the causes of bone weakness and develop interventions to preserve bone health in people living with HIV,” he said.
He noted that since its establishment in 2002, the NIMR HIV Treatment Centre has provided care to over 26,000 Nigerians, making it one of the country’s most experienced treatment and research facilities.
“NIMR continues to play a vital role in shaping national HIV policy, clinical management, and global collaborative research,” Ezeobi added.
Also, in her presentation, Dr. Agatha Eileen Wapmuk, Public Health Physician and Research Fellow at NIMR, unveiled the ACCESS-HPV Project (Actions for Collaborative Community-Engaged Strategies for HPV), locally known as 4GW — For Girls and Women.
The project, funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute, aims to eliminate cervical cancer in Nigeria by promoting HPV vaccination for girls aged 9–14 and screening for women aged 30–65.
Wapmuk explained that the project leverages community participation and local innovation through crowdsourcing campaigns, designathons, and the “Mother–Daughter Day” model, which combines education with on-site vaccination and screening.
Between January and August 2024, the pilot phase conducted across seven states achieved 99 per cent HPV screening and 94.8% vaccination uptake among 350 mother–daughter pairs — an impressive success that highlights the effectiveness of community-led approaches.
The project has now expanded into a randomized controlled trial across 18 Nigerian states, including Lagos, Kano, Sokoto, Borno, Abuja, and Cross River. Women who test positive for HPV are being linked to specialist centers for follow-up care in accordance with national guidelines.
“Cervical cancer is preventable,” Wapmuk emphasised. “Innovative, culturally relevant strategies like ACCESS-HPV are key to saving women’s lives and advancing Nigeria’s progress toward the WHO goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030.”
Summarising key research findings highlighted at the media chat, the Director General, NIMR, Prof. Oladapo Obafunwa, who introduced the monthly media chat to update the public on the activities of the institute, reaffirmed NIMR’s commitment to biomedical research, with projects that span infectious diseases, non-communicable conditions, and women’s health.
“From advancing Nigeria’s clinical trial ecosystem to improving HIV outcomes and pioneering community-led cervical cancer prevention, the institute’s scientists are demonstrating how research can directly inform policy and transform healthcare delivery.
“With growing partnerships, modern infrastructure, and an expanding pool of trained investigators, NIMR continues to drive Nigeria’s pursuit of health innovation, self-reliance, and national health security,” Obafunwa said.
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