SICKLE-CELL KILLING CHILDREN IN NIGERIA
September 6th, 2008 - ANJ Online
Thousands of infants are dying from sickle-cell anemia yearly in Nigeria – one of the highest rates in all Africa, reports the head of the country’s sickle-cell foundation.
"This genetic disorder alone accounts for eight percent of infant mortality in Nigeria, which calls for urgent attention," said foundation head Sadiq Wali.
Meanwhile, Xechem Nigeria will boost production of Nicosan -- used in the treatment of sickle cell disease -- to 50,000 capsules daily in the next six to nine months when a new plant in Abuja, Nigeria, opens. The plant was financed with a two loans, one from the Nigerian Export-Import Bank and another from a U.S. bank.
Xechem International, a New Jersey company, holds exclusive world-wide rights to Nicosan. On July 6, 2006 the drug was officially launched in Nigeria, with the President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, in attendance.
According to the World Health Organisation, an average 200,000 infants are born with sickle-cell in Africa, with 150,000 of them found in Nigeria.
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