PCL 209

HISTORY OF PHARMACY IN THE WORLD

Before the advent of pharmacists, there existed apothecaries that worked alongside priests
and physicians in regard to patient care. Apothecary is one term for a medical
professional who formulates and dispenses medicine to physicians, surgeons, and
patients. In addition to dispensing herbs and medicine, the apothecary offered general
medical advice and a range of services that are now performed by other specialist
practitioners, such as surgeons and obstetricians. Apothecary shops sold ingredients and
the medicines they prepared wholesale to other medical practitioners, as well as
dispensing them to patients. Pharmacy evolved from antiquity as part of medicine.

Apothecaries used their own measurement system, the apothecaries' system, to provide
precise weighing of small quantities.

Industrialization

The 1800s brought increased technical sophistication. By the late 1880s, German dye
manufacturers had perfected the purification of individual organic compound from tar
and other mineral sources and had also established rudimentary methods in organic
chemical synthesis. Choloform was first used as an anesthetic in 1847.

Derivatives of phenothiazines had an important impact on various aspects of medicine,

beginning with methylene blue which was originally used as a dye after its synthesis from
anilines in 1876. Phenothiazines were used as antimalarials, antiseptics, and
antihelminthics up to 1940. 1950, chlorpromazine was discovered, which began the
"psychopharmacological revolution".

The United States formed the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1852. with its
main purpose to advance pharmacists' roles in patient care, assist in furthering career
development, spread information about tools and resources, and raising awareness about
the roles of pharmacists and their contribution to patient care.

Frederick Banting and Charles Best found the hormone insulin to lower blood sugar of
dogs in 1921. This inspired further work by James B. Collip who developed pure insulin
used for human testing and dramatically changed the prospects for all diabetics.

Alexander Fleming developed the first antibiotic, penicillin, after discovering a fungus
that was able to kill off bacteria.

In Europe pharmacy-like shops began to appear during the 12th century. In 1240 emperor
Frederic II issued a decree by which the physician's and the apothecary's professions were
separated.

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HISTORY OF PHARMACY IN NIGERIA
The pharmacy profession did not originate from Nigeria. Pharmacy practice technically
was the first form of science when humans use nature to treat diseases. The pharmacy
program was part of medical science. It went a separate way from medical science in the
year 1240 by the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Fredrick II of Hohenstaufen. The
first ever known pharmacy shop in the world was in Baghdad, Iraq during the 8th
century. It took centuries before the first ever pharmacy shop came to Nigeria.
First Pharmacy Shop
The profession and practice of pharmacy did not start in Nigeria as a well defined health
care area of specialization as it is today. Rather, pharmaceutical training was borne from
the necessity to provide assistance to expatriate medical officers. The genesis of
pharmacy practice in Nigeria can be traced back to 1887 when Dr R Zacchaeus Bailey
opened a pharmacy shop for Europeans in Lagos. The shop was at Balogun Street, Lagos
state. The store was licenced by the then governor-in-council. That showed that licencing
has always been with us right from the very beginning.

Pharmacy education in Nigeria

Pharmacy education in Nigeria passed through five developmental stages viz:

1. Training of dispensers through apprenticeship (1887 – 1923)

2. Training of dispensers through formal schools of pharmacy e.g., School of
Pharmacy Yaba, School of Pharmacy, Zaria.
3. Training of chemists and druggist (1927 – 1972) in School of Pharmacy, Yaba
and Zaria and Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Ibadan.
4. Training of pharmacists at Bachelor Degree level (1963 to date).
5. Training of pharmacists at Doctor of Pharmacy Degree level (2016 to date).

Early Dispensers
The European Medical doctors that reside in Nigeria started training dispensers in 1899.
There was no formal school hence the apprentice method. In this method, a student can
decide the medical doctor to serve under as a master. The student goes to the house or the
shop of the MD every morning. In other cases, the student may live with the master for
some years. During the colonial period, those trained to handle drugs were called
“dispensers”. Such dispensers functioned as dispensers of medicines, sanitary officers,
medical aids and anaesthetists in operating theatres.
Pharmacy education during this period started with training of Nigerians in dispensing
through apprenticeship under physicians, to prepare simple solutions and mixtures and
subsequently either serving as dispensers in the hospitals or opening medicine shops to
serve Nigerian community.
Early Association
Dispensers that graduated were later employed to work in the government hospitals.
Obviously, the hospital cannot absorb them all as they started selling drugs in the 1920s.
These dispensers came together to form Nigeria’s first ever pharmacy association known
as Association of Dispensers (A.D). It will interest you to know that this association is

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still with us today as Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (P.S.N). It was registered in
1956.
It was not until 1947 that pharmacists in civil service formed an association known as
Nigerian union of pharmacists. It was dissolved in the year 1977 when national trade
union took over all other unions.

Later on experienced dispensers and reputed pharmaceutical companies were allowed to

train others. Again, Mr Bailey was an example of such early trainer of dispensers. With
time, apprenticeship training in hospitals under physicians became more formal and
regular. By the beginning of the 3rd decade of the 20th century (i.e the 1920’s), it became
clear that the apprenticeship programme could no longer meet the need for pharmacy
services in Nigeria, and preparations were made through legislation to open school of
pharmacy for training of dispensers. This plan materialized through the establishment of
a School of Pharmacy at Yaba, Lagos for the purpose in 1927.

Early Student Dispensers

The first school of dispensers is Yaba Higher College, Lagos established in 1927.
Another druggist and chemist school was established at Zaria in 1930. The training of
dispensers, druggist, and chemist started in 1946 and regulation was by the Board of
Medical Examiners (B.M.E).

Early Pharmacy Students

The school of pharmacy moved from Yaba Health College to the Ibadan in 1957 as a
department under the formal NCAST, Ibadan. In the 1962 University of Ife, Ile Ife (now
Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU) took over the program. It awarded chemist and
druggist diploma. Later start the diploma in pharmacy in 1963 until 1965. It was not until
1966 that they graduated their first pharmacy students with a B. Pharm; classified degree.
It took, however, Ahmadu Bello University (A.B.U) seven years to produce their first
pharmacy graduate with B.Sc. Pharm. A point to note is that ABU came from the school
of pharmacy, Zaria.

In the year 1958 (watershed of pharmacy education in Nigeria), the PCN (then known as
Pharmacy Board) held a curriculum review conference which harmonized the Yaba and
United Kingdom syllabi, revised the syllabus of the Northern Dispensers‟ Course; the 2-
year practical training certificate programme and upgraded it to the Chemists and
Druggists Diploma.Hence Pharmacy Education evolved from a 2-3 year diploma course
in the1950's to a 3-4 year degree programme in the 1960's and from one institution of
Pharmacy in the late 1950's to six degree-awarding faculties in the 1980's.
Federal universities were established to serve the various regions of the country, and so
were the schools of pharmacy. Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife in the Western region,
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in the Northern region. In the Eastern region, the
pharmacy program at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka was established in 1967 but
effectively took off in 1970.[8] University of Benin also established a degree program in
pharmacy in 1970 to cater for mid-Western Nigeria.[9] These regional schools laid the

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foundation for pharmacy education in Nigeria; and from then on, the schools of pharmacy
ran degree programs as the minimum standard required for registration as a pharmacist
with the regulatory body.

The focus in pharmacy education is toward competencies in medicines related needs of

the community than on the product. Thus, the professional role of the pharmacists in
hospitals and community pharmacies is changing from a focus on preparation,
dispensing, and sale of medications to one in which pharmacists are involved in
medication management and review consultation. The paradigm change in the role of the
pharmacist from a product-oriented to patient-oriented focus requires that the overall
education of pharmacists be reorganized to meet the increasing changing roles.

During the colonial period, those trained to handle drugs were called “dispensers”. Such
dispensers functioned as dispensers of medicines, sanitary officers, medical aids and
anaesthetists in operating theatres. At that time, the development, and hence the role of
the pharmacy professional, followed the pattern in other British colonies and was in line
with the developments in Britain. The need to import drugs on a large scale, which led to
early development of the wholesale drug trade, resulted in additional role for the
pharmacists. Since 1960, many developments have taken place in the education,
legislations, and practice of pharmacy in various areas including industries, hospitals and
communities.

A number of developments have taken place since 1960 in the education, legislations,
and practice of pharmacy in various areas, including industry, hospital, and community.

At the inception of training of pharmacists in Nigeria, two broad approaches were used;
one emphasized the training of the pharmacist as a professional and the other as the
professional pharmacist and scientist at the same time. These approaches defined the
nomenclature of the faculties and the core courses they offer. The school of pharmacy is
either known as Faculty of Pharmacy or Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, depending
on how the founding fathers defined pharmacy, as a profession or an applied science.

Pharmaceutical sciences education in Nigeria is historically rooted in the British

educational system. Pharmacy education in Nigeria commenced in the early 1920s with
the training of the Chemists and Druggists at the schools of pharmacy located at Yaba in
1927 (Western Nigeria) and Zaria in 1930 (Northern Nigeria). The Chemists and
Druggists Diploma, patterned after the British education system, was the first minimum
requirement for registration as Chemist and Druggist. The entry requirement for the
Diploma program was the postsecondary certificate obtained from the Nigerian College
of Arts, Science and Technology (NCAST), Ibadan. The program also accepted
candidates from secondary school with credits in the relevant science subjects in the
General Certificate of Education ‘Ordinary’ Level (GCE ‘O’ Level) Level for a 5year
course instead of a 3-year course.

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REGULATION OF PHARMACY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

To appreciate pharmacy education in Nigeria, it is important to understand that pharmacy

education is regulated by both the Ministries of Education and Health. It is the
responsibility of the NUC,[34] (an agency in the Federal Ministry of Education, FME) to
accredit programs in all Nigerian Universities. Established in 1962, The NUC was an
advisory agency in the Cabinet Office until 1974 when it became a statutory body and it
is a parastatal under the FME charged with the responsibility of:

 Granting approval for all academic programs run in Nigerian universities;

 Granting approval for the establishment of all higher educational institutions
offering degree programs in Nigerian universities;
 Ensure quality assurance of all academic programs offered in Nigerian
universities;
 Channel for all external support to the Nigerian universities.

The pharmacist Council of Nigeria, on the other hand, is a statutory body established
under the Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria Act[35] and is responsible for:
 Determining the standard of knowledge and skill to be attained by persons
seeking to become registered members of the Pharmacy Profession (in this Act
referred to as the profession) and reviewing those standards, from time to time as
circumstances may require
 Securing in accordance with the provisions of this Acts, the establishment and
maintenance of register of person entailed to practice as members of the
profession and the publication, from time to time of lists of those persons
 Reviewing and preparing from time to time, a statement as to the code of conduct
which the council considers desirable for the practice of the pharmacy profession
 Regulating and controlling the practice of the profession in all its aspects and
ramifications.

The core competencies expected of the PharmD graduates are

 Development, manufacturing and supply of medicines.
 Pharmaceutical care.
 Ethical and professional conduct.

 Management, knowledge and skills.

 Public Health Pharmacy.

In the year 1958 (watershed of pharmacy education in Nigeria), the PCN (then known as
Pharmacy Board) held a curriculum review conference which harmonized the Yaba and
United Kingdom syllabi, revised the syllabus of the Northern Dispensers‟ Course; the 2-
year practical training certificate programme and upgraded it to the Chemists and
Druggists Diploma.[6,7] Hence Pharmacy Education evolved from a 2-3 year diploma

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course in the1950's to a 3-4 year degree programme in the 1960's and from one institution
of Pharmacy in the late 1950's to six degree-awarding faculties in the 1980's.

Notable Pioneers of Pharmacy in Nigeria

1. Mr Richard Zaccheus Bailey (1829-1911)

Mr Richard Zaccheus Bailey, popularly known as the doctor was the first man to open a
pharmacy in Nigeria in the year 1887 along Balogun Street, Lagos having obtained a
license from the Governor-in-Council to do so. He also trained many dispensers – Alfred
Philip, Julius Apena, Nelson Cole, S. R. Macauley, Moses Da-Roche and John Caulcrick,
all of who later trained as physicians.

2. Mr Emmanuel Caulcrick

According to official records, Mr Emmanuel Caulcrick was the first registered Nigerian
pharmacist. He was registered on the 1st September 1902. He later opened a medicine
store in Lagos.

3. Thomas King Ekundayo Phillips (1884 – 1969)

Thomas King Ekundayo Phillips was born in 1884 to the Bishop and Mrs Charles
Phillips. He attended the Government Training School for Dispensers, where he trained
and qualified as a Chemist and druggist. Thomas King Ekundayo Phillips opened a
chemist store – Philips Medicine Store in Faji Market, presently Tinubu Square in Lagos
State. He subsequently trained as an optician. He was also the first president of
Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) (1947 – 1951).

4. HRH. Oba John Adetoyese Laoye (1899 – 1975)

HRH. Oba John Adetoyese Laoye was born in 1899. He trained as a dispenser through
hospital apprenticeship that he competed in 1917. He served as a government dispenser in
many towns in Nigeria including Kano, Kaduna, Jos, Ibadan, Akure, Sapele, Maiduguri,
Benin, Warri and Forcados. He was enthroned in 1946. He was a founding father of the
Nigerian Western House of Chiefs (1952).

5. Sir kofo Abayomi

Sir kofo Abayomi was one of the early dispensers, who trained through apprenticeship.
He served in several hospitals. He was also enlisted in the army as a sergeant dispenser
during the First World War where he gained valuable experience with and worked under
some European pharmacists and Physicians.

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6. Prof. Dr Cletus Nzebunwa Aguwa

Prof. Dr Cletus Nzebunwa Aguwa was the first academic clinical pharmacist to be
employed in Nigeria. He was also the first professor of clinical pharmacy in the entire
black Africa.

Below are the stages in the evolution of the profession from product to patient
orientations (Holland and Nimmo, 1999).

Apothecary Model: Pharmacists entered the twentieth century as “apothecarists”. In this

first stage, pharmacists made patent medicines according to their own recipe in small
quantities. They also prescribed these medicines and sold them from their dispensaries.
Both the drug product and the service process provided were valued. Patients came to the
pharmacist for the medication itself and for advice and guidance on its selection and use.
At that time, the pharmacist had a clearly defined social value.

Compounding Model: Around 1945, there was an industrial revolution. This revolution
saw a phenomenal growth in the manufacturing industry that took over extemporaneous
production of drugs in the pharmacies or apothecaries. Pharmacists then moved to
compounding, where they mixed medicines that had already been manufactured,
according to prescription doses and guiding patients to self-care.

Distribution Model: In the third stage, the main function of pharmacists diverged,
depending on the setting of practice. There was an increased availability of manufactured
drugs and the 1951 Durham Humphrey Amendment to the 1938 United StatesFood, Drug
and Cosmetic Act introduced the “prescription-only” legal status of medicines, thereby
limiting who could prescribe and advice on the use of medicines. This confined
community pharmacists to dispensing; hence community pharmacy became a channel of
distribution for the pharmaceutical industry. Hospital pharmacists functioned primarily in
a support role for the management of drug products. Their daily activities were more
varied than those of the community pharmacists and included distribution, management,
large volume compounding, teaching of nurses, and participation in Pharmacy and
Therapeutics Committees. As in community practice, the emphasis was on the drug
product and no longer the patient.

Clinical Pharmacy Model: Clinical pharmacy originated from the US in the 1960s in
response to the societal need to improve the use of medicines. This evolution was led by
initiatives in the hospital sector which enabled schools of pharmacy to make shifts in the
graduate education of pharmacists. In this practice model, community pharmacists
resumed providing drug information by way of advice and medication counseling,
providing consultations on generic substitution and non-prescription drug use. While
physicians maintained responsibility for medication therapy outcomes, hospital
pharmacists provided a valuable supporting service founded in their specialized
knowledge of the action and use of medications. The adoption of the clinical pharmacy

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practice model is viewed as the beginning of social value for hospital pharmacists. This
stage was the re-emergence of patient oriented pharmacy and its pharmacists performed
clinical functions.

Pharmaceutical Care Model: Professionals do not merely perform functions but take
responsibilities for functions that they perform and those performed under their
supervision. Helper and Strand (1990) defined pharmaceutical care as “the responsible
provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a
patient’s quality of life”. These outcomes are curing a disease, eliminating or reducing
symptoms, arresting or slowing a disease process, and preventing a disease or symptoms.
Clinical pharmacy embraces the philosophy of pharmaceutical care. The major difference
between the two care models being “taking the responsibility”, which makes the
pharmacist accountable for his actions (see Table 1). To achieve pharmaceutical care,
pharmacists cooperate with patients and with other health care professionals in designing,
implementing and monitoring a care plan aimed at preventing and resolving drug therapy
problems(DRPs).

Pharmacy career prospects

Pharmacy profession offers quite a lot of career opportunities and they include:

 Hospital pharmacy
 Community pharmacy
 Wholesale pharmacy
 Industrial pharmacy
 Veterinary pharmacy
 Administrative/ Organizational pharmacy
 Pharmacy journalism
 Pharmacy education/ the academia

Source: Azuka C. Oparah: Models of Pharmacy practice in: Essentials of

pharmaceutical care, 2010 p. 8