The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) has called for interdisciplinary collaboration to boost clinical research in the country to global standard.
The Acting Director-General of NIPRD, Prof. Olobayo Kunle, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abuja.
Kunle said such inter-institutional and international collaboration would enable the country meet global standard and aid useful policy decisions.
Kunle noted that clinical research should be on identifying diseases to ascertain disease patterns as well as ensure improved therapies because the current clinical research focus was limited.
He said that a broad research would provide the required data that would enhance policy decisions.
According to him, clinical research in Nigeria has a very long history but when it comes to drug targeted clinical research we have a lot more to do because we do very small studies in limited areas.
“We need to progress to more collaborative work so that data generated can be significant because for you to make statement out of research you must study population.
“Some of the studies done in the country are done in a very small scale they do not provide the strength of data for you to make policy decision.
“Therefore, we have to do a lot more collaboration both interdisciplinary, inter-institutional, even at international levels so that we will share our strength with what is happening in other part of the world.
“Such efforts will ensure what we get becomes more universal and more useful to policy makers.
“It will also enable us to contribute to international data base so that decisions taking on drugs whether to use or keep them will be based on data that reflect what is happening in the whole world,” he said. (NAN)
