The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), says it will intensify the fight against substandard and falsified medicines in the country with the implementation of a pharmaceutical traceability strategy to safeguard people’s health.
The Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this at a workshop in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, organised by the Agency while finalising the draft traceability of pharmaceutical products regulations.
In a statement, Ms Adeyeye was quoted as saying that “The task of safeguarding the health of the nation is daunting in the face of the chaotic drug distribution system currently existing in Nigeria.”
She added that the falsification and diversion of health commodities caused serious health and economic consequences.
“The consequences vis-à-vis the mandate of the Agency to regulate and control among other things, the distribution of drugs and other regulated products, is sufficient motivation for the implementation of pharmaceutical traceability,” she explained.
The consequences vis-à-vis the mandate of the Agency to regulate and control among other things, the distribution of drugs and other regulated products, is sufficient motivation for the implementation of pharmaceutical traceability.
The Director-General also mentioned the need to complement the fight against the menace of substandard and falsified medicines and improve the regulatory control of the medicines supply chain in Nigeria.
Ms Adeyeye said NAFDAC was committed to the full implementation of pharmaceutical traceability in Nigeria as part of regulatory strengthening and underscoring its mandate.
She also revealed NAFDAC developed a five-year traceability implementation plan in line with the objectives of the Nigeria pharmaceutical traceability strategy.
The NAFDAC chief said the idea is to achieve supply chain visibility and strengthen interventions against substandard and falsified medicines by the end of her second term.
“Gazetting and dissemination of the traceability of pharmaceutical products and regulations is essential for the adoption and enforcement of the provisions of the Nigeria pharmaceutical traceability strategy,” she said.
“Also, regulation, accompanied by guidelines and compliance requirements will provide a legal framework to support advocacy for all stakeholders to implement traceability in distribution of pharmaceuticals or supply chain.” (NAN)
