The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has implored the Federal Government to urgently provide free antivenom drugs for Nigerians.
The group also urged the government prioritise local manufacturing to halt the estimated 2,000 preventable deaths caused by snakebites annually in the country.
The group conveyed these in a statement issued in the wake of the tragic death of Abuja-based singer, Ifunanya Nwangene.
The association said Nigeria must move away from its donor-dependent supply chain and embrace a self-sufficient local production model in order to save lives and align with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) target of reducing snakebite-related deaths by 50 per cent by 2030.
National Chairman of ACPN, Pharm. Ambrose Igwekammah Eze, expressed deep condolences to the family of the late Nwangene, describing her death as painful and avoidable.
“We mourn with the family and stand in solidarity with all Nigerians who have lost loved ones to preventable causes,” Eze said, stressing that every Nigerian life must be treated as a national priority.
He described snakebite envenoming as one of the most neglected public health emergencies in Nigeria, noting that the country records over 20,000 snakebite cases annually, with about 1,700 victims suffering permanent disabilities such as limb amputations due to tissue necrosis and delayed access to treatment.
According to him, the burden falls disproportionately on rural dwellers, subsistence farmers, herders, women and children who often live far from functional health facilities and lack financial protection against catastrophic health costs.
Acknowledging the clarification by the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, that antivenom was administered in Nwangene’s case, the ACPN warned that systemic challenges such as the “referral trap,” stock-outs and limited manpower in peripheral facilities continue to endanger lives.
“Any delay whether caused by cost, distance or lack of trained personnel can mean the difference between life and death,” Eze said, adding that despite the inclusion of antivenoms in the National Essential Medicines List (EML) and the existence of treatment guidelines, fatalities remain unacceptably high.
The association therefore called for a one-off government investment of about $12 million to establish a local antivenom production plant, noting that Nigeria currently spends nearly the same amount annually on imported antivenom vials.
Eze also urged the Federal Government to fully include antivenoms under the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) scheme to reduce the average treatment cost of about ₦40,000, which he said remains out of reach for most rural Nigerians.
The group criticised what it described as administrative interference undermining Drug Revolving Funds (DRF) in public hospitals, warning that poor management has contributed to frequent stock-outs of life-saving medicines.
He cited the 2026 Global Strike Out Snakebite (SOS) report, which found that 98 per cent of Nigerian healthcare workers face severe challenges in administering effective snakebite treatment.
As part of an eight-point roadmap, the association recommended decentralising snakebite treatment to Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs), strengthening early referral systems through collaboration with traditional rulers and healers, and intensifying public education to discourage harmful traditional practices such as the use of “black stones.”
