NAFDAC vows to make importation of falsified medicines unattractive for shady importers

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has announced the agency’s readiness to eliminate substandard and falsified medicines in the country through a partnership with pre-shipment agents in China and India.

According to a press release signed and issued by the Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola on Sunday, September 27, the move is part of the agency’s efforts to take the war against the importation of illicit drugs to the source countries.

Prof Adeyeye said: “Safeguarding the health of Nigeria means making sure that all regulated products that NAFDAC is in charge of having the expected quality,” adding that it will ensure robust control of the manufacture, the distribution, the advertisement, the sale and the use of these products using international standards, in line with our mandate.

Speaking on “NAFDAC And Your Health”, in Abuja, against the background of Nigeria’s 60^th Independence Anniversary, Prof. Adeyeye noted that 70 per cent of the medicines used in Nigeria are imported while only 30 per cent are produced locally, stressing that attention must be paid to both imported and locally made drugs by the agency

She said imported drugs used in Nigeria are mostly from China and India, noting that “NAFDAC is now going to the source to ensure that we do pre-shipment analysis.”

She noted that although pre-shipment analysis had always been there even before she came on board as the DG of NAFDAC, there were loopholes in that process that have now been blocked.

She stated that she travelled to China and India with a few staff last year to meet the agents that were given the responsibility many years back, adding that the riot act was read to them and they now understood that they are responsible for making sure that the products samples and analyzed by them in their home countries are of quality.

The laboratories were approved based on the analysis they do on the products that are shipped to Nigeria. The NAFDAC boss, however, said loopholes were found in the process and NAFDAC had to withdraw the approval granted to one of the Clean Report Inspection Agents (CRIA) and several laboratories.

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