L-R: Director, Medical and Health Service, Kano State Ministry of Health, Dr Shehu Abdullahi; Deputy Director, Food and Drug Services Department, Essential Medicine list Division, Federal Ministry of Health, Yakubu Bulama; Director, Safe Motherhood Reproductive Health Division, FMoH, Dr Samuel Oyeniyi; Chief Investigator, IVON Trial/Director, Centre for Clinical Trials Research and Implementation Science, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof Bosede Afolabi; Director of Africa Center of Excellence for Population Health and Policy, Bayero University Kano/Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Prof Hadiza Galadanci; Director, Specialty Hospitals, FMoH, Dr Aderemi Azeez; Deputy Provost elect, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Prof Daniel Odebiyi; and Senior Program Officer, Health Global Development, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Nigeria, Dr Charity Chenge, during the IVON Trial close-out ceremony in Lagos… on Thursday

The IVON Trial close-out ceremony in took place in Lagos on Thursday, 18 January 2024.

IVON, according to experts stands for intravenous versus oral iron deficiency anaemia in pregnant Nigerian women. And, as The Guardian reported, it is a significant milestone in global efforts to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality.

At the event, the Minister of Health, Ali Pate, was represented by the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Prof. Lanre Adeyemo. He spoke at the close-out ceremony of IVON Clinical Trial, held in Lagos State.

It reported further: “A researcher, professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Lagos (UNILAG), Bosede Afolabi, was awarded a $2.5 million grant by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for the research.”

The minister, who noted that the outcome of the trial would change clinical obstetrics practice and ultimately reduce maternal and child morbidity and maternity, said: “Anaemia in pregnancy is highly prevalent in African countries. Globally, anaemia is the commonest medical condition affecting pregnant women and in Africa, about 50 per cent of all pregnant women are affected. In Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, about three in five pregnant women have anaemia.

“The condition, which is mostly caused by iron deficiency, is associated with increased risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. It is recognised as a major global health problem with an indicator dedicated to tracking reduction efforts of anaemia in women of 15 to 49 years of age, including pregnant women, added to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2020. Therefore, IVON clinical trial is a significant milestone in global efforts to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality, and the contributions of IVON trial team cannot be over-emphasised.”

On her part, Afolabi said IVON is the largest clinical trial done on the topic worldwide and was coordinated by the Centre for Clinical Trial, Research and Implementation Science (CCTRIS) at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos