Peter Okoye, PBA Journalism MenteeThe National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has vowed to intensify its fight against the proliferation of fake and substandard drugs with the implementation of a pharmaceutical traceability strategy, to safeguard the health of Nigerians.
NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who stated this at the Traceability Workshop in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said the training was aimed at finalising the draft traceability of pharmaceutical products regulations in the country.
She warned that the production and distribution of fake and substandard health products has very serious health and economic implications.
Recall that the World Health Organisation (WHO), in its recent report titled: “Substandard and falsified medical products”, stated that no country remains untouched by this worrisome issue.
The world health body said that it has received reports of substandard drugs, vaccines and in vitro diagnostics from all regions of the world.
“Both generic and innovative medicines range from very expensive products for cancer to very inexpensive products for the treatment of pain,” WHO report indicated.
The report further stated that WHO member States have agreed on a comprehensive global strategy focused on prevention, detection and response to move towards achieving increased access to quality, safe, effective and quality medical products.
Prof. Adeyeye noted that the main task of safeguarding the health of the nation is daunting in the face of the chaotic drug distribution system in Nigeria.
She further explained that NAFDAC is committed to the implementation of pharmaceutical traceability in Nigeria as part of the regulatory strengthening and underscoring of its mandate.
She said that the agency has developed a 5-Year Traceability Implementation plan in line with the objectives of the Nigeria Pharmaceutical Traceability Strategy to achieve supply chain visibility and strengthen interventions against the scourge of substandard and falsified medicines by the end of her second term.
Prof. Adeyeye however, stressed that the development, gazetting and dissemination of the Traceability of Pharmaceutical Products Regulations is essential for the adoption and enforcement of the provisions of the Nigeria Pharmaceutical Traceability Strategy.
She added that the regulation, accompanied by guidelines and compliance requirements would provide a legal framework to support advocacy for all stakeholders to implement traceability in the distribution of pharmaceuticals or supply chains.
Again, she noted that the participation of relevant stakeholders during the drafting of the Traceability Regulation is important to ensure there is an understanding among stakeholders of the provisions of the Regulation, and to welcome feedback, to improve compliance.
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