TheNational Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, NIPRD says itis embarking on local production of medical and pharmaceutical products, toimprove access to healthcare in the country. Theinstitute’s Director-General Obi Adigwe who announced this in Abuja said theproduction of the products would also boost socio-economic growth in thecountry. Accordingto Adigwe, the country is blessed with numerous medicinal plants with hugemedical and pharmaceutical potentials that were not being exploited. He saidthe institute had already produced a sickle cell drug which would soon be inthe market. TheDirector General explained that institute had access to research that wasignored in the past, which the institute would now start transforming intofinished products. He said that the focus was to achieve a remarkableimprovement in healthcare and also improve the socio-economic conditions ofNigerians. Headded that institute found out that most of the eucalyptuses in the market isimported, but Kaduna has more than ten thousand hectares of it, and NIPRD hasthe technology to process it.