20/05/2026
One-drug-fits-all era ending, FULafia professor tells healthcare providers at NDU 71st inaugural lecture
By | Yahaya Kana Ismaila
The era where patients diagnosed with same ailment are placed on the same medication, despite clear physiological differences, is steadily giving way to a more precise and patient-specific approach to treatment.
That was the central thrust of the 71st inaugural lecturer of Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State.
The lecture, titled: “Gene-Drug Complex: Divine Blueprint to Personalised Pharmacotherapy,” was delivered by Benjamin Umaru Ebeshi, a Professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and Dean Faculty of the Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Lafia (FULafia).
Ebeshi argued that modern medicine can no longer afford to rely on generalised drug administration where patients are treated solely on the basis of symptoms or diagnosis, without sufficient consideration for genetic variations that influence how individuals respond to medications.
According to him, differences in genetic make-up, largely, determine how drugs are absorbed, metabolised and tolerated by different patients, explaining why medications that prove effective for some individuals may produce adverse reactions, toxicity or outright treatment failure in others.
Ebeshi maintained that advances in pharmacogenomics and personalised pharmacotherapy now makes it possible for healthcare providers to tailor medications and dosage patterns to the genetic profile of individual patients, thereby improving treatment outcomes, reducing side effects and enhancing overall patient safety.
The inaugural lecture was chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of Niger Delta University (NDU), Professor Allen Aziba-Odumosi Agih, and attended by principal officers and members of the university community.
Also represented at the event was the Emir of Lafia, HRH, Hon. Justice Sidi Bage (rtd) who was represented by the Sarkin Gabas of Lafia, Alhaji Abdullahi Hamidu.
