Obi Peter Adigwe

Obi Peter Adigwe

Obi Peter Adigwe is a Nigerian pharmacist and a doctor of pharmaceutical policy.^[1] He was appointed the Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) with effect from 10 August 2018 ^[2][3] by the former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. Before his appointment as NIPRD boss, he was the Executive Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers' Association of Nigeria and holds a Doctor of Pharmaceutical Policy at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom.

Dr. Adigwe was the pioneer Head of the Health Policy Research and Development (HPRD) Unit at the National Assembly (Nigeria), where he formulated research and development strategies in Health Policy with a view to developing an Evidence-Based approach to Legislation and Policy formulation in Nigeria. He also developed innovative and contextual capacity-building modules for Healthcare Professionals, as well as coordinated research that contributed to Health System strengthening. He has a significant number of peer-reviewed publications including the first Knowledge Attitudes and Perceptions study on Ebola in Nigeria, as well as a seminal paper on Rational Use of Medicines. While in the United Kingdom, he was the lead author of the article “Rewrite the Script for Non-medical Prescribing” which contributed to prescribing policy reforms in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Throughout his career, Adigwe has pioneered a significant number of innovative research and developmental projects. He led teams that secured various high-profile grants including a Clinical Trials Grant from the ECOWAS, an API Grant from African Export–Import Bank, a Drug Development Mega Grant from Tertiary Education Trust Fund and a European Union / Government of Bulgaria Grant supporting Local Production of Vaccines in the Nigerian setting. Based on the NIPRD study led by Dr Adigwe, the European Union EU announced the award of an €18m grant to Nigeria,^[4] as a catalyst for vaccines research.

Dr. Obi Peter Adigwe has headed and served on numerous Committees and Expert Working Groups at both national and international levels, including the D8, United Nations, World Health Organisation [WHO], The African Union and ECOWAS. Dr. Adigwe was conferred with Nigeria's highest Productivity Award by the President of Nigeria in recognition of his hard work, productivity and excellence in National Developmental Initiatives. Adigwe is a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy, as well as of the West African Institute of Public Health.