Pharma-Deko Plc — Companies

Why it is on record

Among the oldest pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria — incorporated 1969 as Parke-Davis Nigeria, indigenised 1976 as Pharma-Deko; manufacturer of EVA-branded toiletries and OTC medicines.

Record held

One of three pharma companies that survived the 1970s indigenisation as listed Nigerian entities.

Headquarters

Ilupeju, Lagos.

Lineage / corporate history

Parke-Davis (Nig) Ltd (1969) → Pharma-Deko Ltd (1976, indigenised) → Pharma-Deko Plc (NSE-listed 1980s).

Key dates

1969Incorporated as Parke-Davis (Nig) Ltd; subsidiary of the US pharma group.
1976Indigenised under the second NEP Decree; renamed Pharma-Deko.
1980sListed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
2010sDiversification into FMCG / personal-care (EVA brand) as ethical pharma margins compressed.

Deep dive

Pharma-Deko is the corporate descendant of Parke-Davis Nigeria — the local subsidiary of the US pharmaceutical pioneer whose Nigerian operation predated the company's 1970 acquisition by Warner-Lambert and ultimately by Pfizer. The 1976 indigenisation severed the chain and Pharma-Deko has operated as a Nigerian-controlled listed company since.

The company is one of three pharma firms (with May & Baker and Neimeth) that survived the post-indigenisation decades as continuously listed entities. Its strategic pivot in the 2010s toward toiletries and personal care under the EVA brand reflects the broader compression of the ethical-pharma manufacturing margin in Nigeria and the diversification logic that has reshaped the local industry.