Editorial

The goal of the West African Journal of Pharmacy (WAJP) is to publish recent findings in pharmacy
practice, pharmaceutical sciences, and health research. The journal seeks to foster multi-disciplinary
research and collaboration amongst pharmaceutical scientists, practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical
industry, and the healthcare sector in general as reflected in the level of collaborations between authors
of the published papers in this edition.

For reasons ranging from comorbidity of infections to the possibility of an enhanced therapeutic
response, antimicrobials are one of the most commonly prescribed medications all over the world. It is
commonplace for clinicians to prescribe antimalarials and antimicrobials together due to a high
prevalence of coexistence of malarial and bacterial infections in the tropics. This is often done, however,
without recourse to the possibility of drug interactions, which sometimes may be harmful to the patient.
Following an extensive scientific review, ADEMISOYE et al provide insights into recent findings on
antimicrobial and antimalarial drug-drug interactions. The authors conclude that caution is required
with the co-administration of these medicines as some of the interactions can contribute towards
observed antimicrobial resistance and treatment failure.

For some women with epilepsy, studies have suggested that there may be a close link between
hormones and epileptic seizures. Despite this knowledge, studies have not been focused on the
potential use of the Estrogen/Progesterone Ratio, EPR, as a possible promising marker of epilepsy.
OGUNJIMI et al embarked on a research work to determine the association between epilepsy and EPR
among adult females with epilepsy. They conclude that EPR might be a possible biomarker of epilepsy,
since there was an observed higher level of EPR in epilepsy cases compared with the control group. In a
related study involving women living with epilepsy, TAIWO-OLA et al set out to determine the
prevalence of depression among the group, and the factors contributing to depressive episodes. The
findings of their research work suggest that clinicians may have to adopt a different approach when
dealing with women living with epilepsy who present with depression.

Although the toxicity and adverse effects of some antihypertensive medications have been
documented, there seems to be paucity of data with regards to the effect of this drug group on certain
reproductive parameters. Hence, the study by ADERINOLA et al to investigate the effect of oral
administration of ramipril on the hormonal profile and semen quality of male rats. Among other
findings, the results reveal a significant decrease in the level of testosterone of the treated rats at all
tested doses.

Some ethno-medicinal activities of the component parts of Chromolaena odorata have been reported.
The leaves may be used to stop bleeding, promote the healing of soft tissues and burns, and also as
cough remedy. These properties may be linked to the presence of some phytochemicals in the plant.
Odion et al conducted a phytochemical screening of the methanolic leaf extract of the plant. Their
findings reveal the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and saponins, among others.
Despite all efforts by regulatory authorities to stamp out substandard and falsified medications from the
pharmaceutical supply chain, reports of therapeutic failure persist, which may oftentimes be linked to
faking. In a study geared towards addressing this issue, AKINLEYE et al carried out a comparative quality
assessment of some brands of lisinopril tablets. The authors recommend continuous screening of
pharmaceuticals in the open market for quality control.

Folkloric use of plant components in the treatment of diabetes mellitus has been well documented. FAGBOHUN et al conducted extensive research to determine the effects that the extracts of Combretum platypterum leaves have on alloxan-induced rats. They conclude that the extracts demonstrated both hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties.

The use of herbal medicines has been on the increase, particularly in developing economies. Many of those who use these herbs for one ailment or the other also combine their use with orthodox medicines without recourse to the likely dangers that herbal-drug interactions pose when administered concurrently. AKINLEYE et al in another study discovered that ruzu herbal bitters, a commercially available herbal preparation, altered the pharmacokinetic profile of metformin tablets in healthy volunteers.

Elevated levels of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) lead to hypercholesterolemia, a condition linked to an increased risk of coronary artery disease. Statins are often prescribed to help reduce the risk of ischemic stroke. But there is a level of adherence that must be attained in order to derive the health benefits that statin administration confers.

OSAHON and FREDRICK in their research work examined the level of adherence to statin therapy among
hypercholesterolemic patients in a tertiary healthcare facility. The authors report a moderate adherence to statin therapy, especially among highly educated patients. The quest to continue to make the patient the focus of medication therapy has seen several changes occur in pharmacy practice all over the world. A major one is the introduction of the PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy) programme, which both the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) have embraced. ODEKU et al carried out a study to evaluate the impact that the PharmD training has had on pharmacy practice among those pharmacists who went through the 'special PharmD conversion programme.'

JEGEDE et al on the other hand wanted to find out how much it really costs to get a pharmacy education in Nigeria. The researchers wanted to know if there was a difference between private and public universities with regards to pharmacy education. The authors of these papers on pharmacy training reveal some perspectives that readers might find interesting and informative.

Two articles of public health interest are published in this issue of the journal. AWANYE et al carried out a study to determine the risk factors and seroprevalence of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection and the protective antibodies in Health Care Workers (HCWs) at selected hospitals in Port Harcourt. Similarly, ONYEBUCHI and ADIBE investigated the impact of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) enrollment on medication adherence in hypertensive patients by assessing disparities in adherence profiles and patterns of barriers to medication adherence between enrolled and non-enrolled patients of the NHIS and evaluating the extent to which cost of medication affects adherence.

This edition of the WAJP also includes two papers on pharmaceutical microbiology and pharmaceutics/pharmaceutical technology. The research work was carried out by AWANYE et al & ABU-SAEED and AREMU respectively.

For the benefit of those who could not attend the last AGM of the College, which held in Monrovia, Liberia, this edition also contains the communique of the 35th Annual General Meeting. Happy reading!

Dr. Olugbenga Fajemirokun, FPC Pharm.,
Editor-In-Chief.