Department of Medicinal Chemistry & Quality Control (MC&QC)

Dr. Nneka Ibekwe

Head of Department

The Units/Divisions in the department are;

  • Chemistry & Natural Products Science
  • Biopharmaceutics & Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics (DMPK)
  • Quality System and Instrumental Analysis

As a primary function of the Institute, the department is vested with the responsibility of the development of new or improved quality control methods, quality standards and specifications for the production and use in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. The activities of the department play a key role in ensuring the availability of quality and safe drugs, food, water, cosmetics and herbal products for public health interventions.

The department has staff strength of sixteen comprising eleven (11) research fellows including a research professor, five (5) Ph.D. and five (5) M.Sc holders, and five (5) technologists.

Functions of the department include;

  1. Isolation/chemistry of constituents of natural products and pharmaceutical substances
  2. Organic synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies
  3. Qualitative and quantitative chemical analyses of drugs
  4. Development of chemical methods, standards and techniques for analyses of food, water, drugs, cosmetics and pharmaceutical raw materials
  5. Determination of specifications for raw materials, drugs/phytomedicines and finished  products
  6. Determination of drug levels in biological fluids to support bioavailability and bioequivalence and drug interaction studies of orthodox drugs and phytomedicines
  7. Pharmacokinetics (ADME) parameters of drugs and phytomedicines in humans
  8. Database on quality of drugs in use in Nigeria
  9. Operational research for health policy formulation
  10. Provision of consultancy services and technical support to students (undergraduate and post-graduate), government and entrepreneurs.