Chinenye Anuforo
GSK Pharmaceuticals Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to improving asthma control among children as the company unveiled Flixotide at the 2019 Annual Paediatric Association of Nigeria Conference (PANCONF) in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Flixotide, which will be available soon in the country, is a low dose inhaled corticosteroid for prevention of asthma exacerbation in children from one year of age. The product reduces frequency of asthma symptoms and attacks in patients previously treated with bronchodilators alone or with other prophylactic therapy.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Medical Director, GSK Nigeria, Dr. Laja Odunuga, stated that GSK desired to attend to the health needs of children with asthma and ensure that they live a healthy life.
“The concept is to make controller medication available for children who are less than four years, and the introduction of Flixotide is meant to fill a gap for the children that cannot benefit from other controller medications prescribed for the adult population,” Odunuga said.
Regarding the assessment of asthmatic conditions among children in Nigeria, Odunuga added: “I think we are getting better. We are probably not where we want to be, but things are getting better in the sense that medications are now readily available. We are also trying to tackle the issue of stigmatisation, capacity building for health care professionals such as doctors, nurses and pharmacists to ensure that the right things are done at the right time. For the parents, we are advocating that they take up proper health-seeking behaviour. If we put all these parameters together, these are pointers that will reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with this disease.”
The 2019 edition of PANCONF is the 50th in the series and the 6th International Scientific Conference with the theme “PAN at 50: Successes, challenges and prospects.”
Congratulating the Association, Odunuga said, “the Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) remains one of the biggest supporters of issues relating to children in Nigeria. The body has become a voice that cannot be discountenanced. It has remained a golden voice that over the years has lent its support to child-health issues in Nigeria.”
While acknowledging the support and novelty of GSK Nigeria in introducing Flixotide, the president, PAN, Prof. Austin Omoigberale, said it was high time all relevant bodies and authorities supported initiatives that would further guarantee safety and good health for Nigerian children under five years.
“The launch of the product is fantastic. One of the themes of this year’s conference is child health and therapeutic advances. So, we are always happy to partner with pharmaceutical companies like GSK. We have some research work going on, looking at how we can proffer common solutions to childhood diseases. In view of this, PAN has been divided into 12 sub-committees to develop protocols and guidelines for the treatment of children,” Omoigberale said.
Continuing, he said: “This new drug from GSK is a good thing because of the burden of asthma in children. The drug is trying to reduce the stress in children and manage them properly because inappropriate management can lead to complications.
“The indices of child mortality are abysmal for us because it is very huge. Therefore, we need the government to be proactive and do more while I also advise our sponsors to have more collaborations so that together, we can all reduce the burden of mortality among under five-year-old children in Nigeria.”
Over the years, GSK has consistently demonstrated its commitment to investing in healthcare, research and development. The company has actively supported the fight against asthma and other child related diseases. In Nigeria, it has collaborated with a group of Nigerian doctors to launch an Asthma Insight and Reality (AIR) study.