By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A subsidiary of Codix Pharma Limited, Colexa Biosensor Limited, is now producing blood glucose meters and strips, which have been duly evaluated, approved, and registered by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
This flagship product addresses the prevalence of diabetes in Africa affecting millions of people living with the disease, as it would assist in early detection and management to aid recovery and wellness.
Speaking at the commissioning of its In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) factory in Lagos, the chairman of Colexa Biosensor Limited, Mr Sammy Ogunjimi, said with the firm’s focus on Africa and with Nigeria as its base, it aims to extend its solution throughout Africa and the world and contribute its efforts to correcting the deficit in the balance of trade and to raising the volume of exports to improve the foreign exchange situation.
“We aim to localize and backwards integrate to reduce our dependence on imports and this factory is the first step towards achieving that goal.
“As a testament to our utmost desire to ensure consistent product and service quality, we are happy to announce that this factory has received 2 Quality Management System certifications – 1st the ISO 13485:2016 (IVD) Certificate, and the ISO 9001: 2015 (process) certificate.
“We have also received a successful independent comparative evaluation of OnPoint BGM with the market gold standard through the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN). Colexa Biosensor Limited will provide direct employment for over 700 staff and several more indirectly,” he stated.
The facility, with an installed capacity of 3.6 million packs and an opportunity to scale up to 10.8 million packs annually, is poised to meet local demand and export, starting with its subsidiaries across West Africa, with the added advantage of reducing the need for foreign exchange in procuring raw materials.
In his keynote address, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, reiterated the commitment of the federal government to patronize local manufacturers of healthcare products and ensure the prevention of spending the country’s short supply of foreign exchange on importation of pharmaceutical products that can be produced locally.
“Our President, Mr Bola Tinubu, sees it as unacceptable that 99 per cent of medical devices and more than 70 per cent of our generic pharmaceutical equipment in Nigeria are imported.
“The federal government will purchase locally manufactured diabetes test kits because we know that diabetes is a very significant cause of morbidity in our country.
“We are committed to developing our healthcare industry to contribute to the African healthcare market by providing the critical commodities and services that will optimize the health of our populations, ensure our health security and retain all the economic value in our country,” the Minister said.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr Julius Adewale Adelusi-Adeluyi, a former Minister of Health, urged the government to ensure an environment that enables companies like Colexa Biosensor to thrive and remain sustainable.
In her goodwill message, the Director General of NAFDAC, Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye, hailed Sammy Ogunjimi and Lekan Asuni for their vision of ensuring that the country can meet its local consumption of IVD products.
Adedapo Adesanya 
Aduragbemi Omiyale