NAFDAC set to reinforce fight against substandard drugs

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is set to reinforce the fight against substandard and falsified drugs in the country with the implementation of pharmaceutical traceability strategy to safeguard the health of the Nigerian populace. The Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this at a workshop in Portharcourt, Rivers state organized by the agency  while  finalizing the draft traceability of pharmaceutical products regulations.This is contained in a statement signed by the NAFDAC spokesperson, Mr Olusayo Akintola in Abuja.

“The task of safeguarding the health of the nation is daunting in the face of the chaotic drug distribution system currently existing in Nigeria”. Adeyeye said. She said  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 added.

The director-general emphasized on 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 noting that NAFDAC was committed to the full implementation of pharmaceutical traceability in Nigeria as part of  regulatory strengthening and underscoring  its mandate. Adeyeye also said that NAFDAC has developed a five-Year traceability implementation plan in line with the objectives of the Nigeria pharmaceutical traceability strategy.

She also said  the idea is aimed at achieving supply chain visibility and strengthening  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… 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. The participation of relevant stakeholders during the drafting of the traceability regulation is  important to ensure there is understanding among stakeholders,” she said.

She said that a major achievement in the direction of reducing the incidence of substandard and falsified medicines in the country was the hosting of the second Africa GSI traceability conference on healthcare in Lagos in Sept. 2019. The conference, according to her  attracted medicines regulatory agencies from about twenty-five countries in Africa, as well as other stakeholder partners from the Americas and Europe. “The agency is already on a five-year roadmap to establishing a culture of track and trace with regards to pharmaceutical products,” she said. Adeyeye said that medicines and medical devices can be monitored throughout the supply chain from manufacturing to the end user, the patient, adding that the agency has developed a roadmap to this effect.

She also stated that the roadmap has been approved by the Minister of Health, adding that, the traceability strategy document was the outcome of the year’ (1919/2020) work by NAFDAC further stating that the traceability document work was done in collaboration with the  Ministry of Health, USAID and GS1 Technologies. Adeyeye said that NAFDAC traceability office is being supported by international partners such as USAID, World Bank, World Health Organisation; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Global Fund.

Describing the gains of implementing pharmaceutical traceability as enormous, Adeyeye said traceability would provide visibility of medicines from plant to patient to promote trust in the pharmaceutical sector and healthcare system.