The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has urged the Federal Government to make antivenom free nationwide.
The association also called for local antivenom production to address over 2,000 preventable snakebite-related deaths recorded annually.
ACPN made the appeal in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Mr Ambrose Eze, following the death of Abuja-based singer, Ifunanya Nwangene.
Eze expressed condolences to the family, describing the death as a tragic and painful loss.
“We mourn with the family and stand in solidarity with all Nigerians who have lost loved ones,” he said.
He warned that snakebite envenoming remains one of Nigeria’s most neglected public health emergencies, requiring urgent national attention.
He urged the Federal Government to declare snakebite envenoming a national health priority and formally classify it as a Neglected Tropical Disease.
According to him, Nigeria records no fewer than 20,000 snakebite cases annually, with about 1,700 victims left permanently disabled.
He said rural dwellers, farmers, herders, women and children bear the greatest burden of the disease.
Eze said the death of Nwangene at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, had renewed concerns over delays in accessing lifesaving antivenom.
He noted that stock-outs and what he described as the “referral trap” exposed critical gaps in the country’s snakebite response system.
He insisted that any delay caused by cost, stock shortages or lack of trained personnel could prove fatal for victims.
He observed that although antivenoms are listed as essential medicines, snakebite-related deaths continue to rise.
ACPN called for a one-off federal investment of about 12 million dollars to establish a local antivenom manufacturing facility, noting that Nigeria currently spends nearly the same amount annually on importing antivenoms.
The association urged the government to include antivenoms under the National Health Insurance coverage to ease the average ₦40,000 treatment cost borne by victims.
ACPN also condemned what it described as “administrative interference” in hospital Drug Revolving Funds, stressing that protecting the funds was crucial to ending the persistent stock-out syndrome in public health facilities.
“These systemic failures are echoed in the 2026 Global Strike Out Snakebite (SOS) report, which found that 98 per cent of Nigerian healthcare workers face extreme challenges in administering treatment,” Eze said.
As part of an eight-point roadmap, the association recommended strengthening rural primary healthcare centres for early response and improving access to emergency care.
It also urged collaboration with traditional rulers and healers to promote timely referral of snakebite victims to health facilities.
Eze further warned against harmful traditional practices, including the use of so-called “black stones,” describing them as dangerous delays that worsen outcomes.
He maintained that with strong political will, strategic investment and coordinated action, the cycle of preventable snakebite deaths and disabilities could be broken.
“I am confident that in the near future, deaths and disabilities resulting from snakebites will become largely preventable and ultimately a thing of the past,” he said.
