Chioma Umeha
As the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC) celebrates its 25th anniversary of service,
pharmacists have tasked the agency to tackle the challenges of non-adherence to
designated ports of entries for drugs.
Speaking for the pharmacists was Samuel Adekola,
the National Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN)
who said the agency should ensure strict compliance with entries of drugs on
only designated ports – both airports and seaports, to curb falsified medicines
distribution in the country.
Adekola while speaking to DAILY INDEPENDENT,
stressed that NAFDAC should not rest on its oars following its silver jubilee,
that the agency which marked its silver jubilee should not relent in its effort
to win the fake drugs war.
The ACPN boss also called on Prof. Moji Adeyeye,
NAFDAC Director-General, to look at the continued sales of drugs in places
where they are prohibited including buses and other means of transportation.
He said that NAFDAC enforcement agents need to
checkmate the influence of the night buses and other illegal modes of freight
forwarding deployed to move falsified medicines (fake drugs) in our country.
He said; “The ACPN welcomes the collaborations
between NAFDAC and PCN as championed through resolutions of the 2018 National
Summit of the ACPN. We look forward to more success stories as NAFDAC and PCN
jointly facilitate the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG) which
provides for new Pharmaceutical premises designated as coordinated wholesale
centres (CWC) to replace the dreaded open Drug Markets (ODMs).
“While the PCN will register the CWCs, we look
forward to strict regulation of available products by the DG NAFDAC and her
management team.
“While we have made some strides with Prof.
Adeyeye in the last 18 months, we recognise some challenges that still needs to
be dealt with including; Non-Adherence to designated ports of entries for
drugs – both airports and Seaports,
which still encourage the distribution of falsified medicines in Nigeria.
“Continued sales of drugs in places where they are
prohibited including bosses and other means of transportation. NAFDAC
enforcement agents need to checkmate the influence of the night bosses and
other illegal modes of freight forwarding deployed to move falsified medicines
(fake drugs) in our country.
“It is our expectation that the new NAFDAC
management will reduce lead time employed in the registration of drugs and
other products which appears unduly long as far as the businesses of
manufacturers and importers are concerned,” he said.
Similarly, Bose Idowu, the ACPN National
Secretary, also called for progress in the quest for institutionalising orphan
and service drugs as well as the concept of Community Pharmacy Action Centres
(COPA) to effectively co-ordinate self-regulation in community practice.
She assured DAILY INDEPENDENT, “We shall continue
to engage NAFDAC on its cutting edge technology drive with special attention on
product packs.
“Our deep conviction remains that dialogue remains
a major pre-requisite to assuage feelings of some traumatised pharmacists who
have been embarrassed based on what we currently have.”
Idowu said that the ACPN believes that the great
reforms under the watch of Prof. Adeyeye would reposition the pharmaceutical
industry, adding that the ISO certification of laboratory facilities at NAFDAC
positions our manufacturers to enjoy greater exports of their products in the
months ahead.
“The seven-star pro-active measure of subjecting
NAFDAC to the World Health Organisation (WHO) global benchmarking is certainly
a major advancement in the regulatory space in Nigeria as these ultimately
places NAFDAC endorsement of any brand on a global pedestal,” she stated.
The ACPN lauded the modest efforts of NAFDAC under
the leadership of Prof. Moji Adeyeye with regard to national development by
documenting for posterity some obvious areas including much better management
of the internally generated revenue (IGR) of NAFDAC such that some inherited
debts are gradually been defrayed and renewed investments in upgrading
laboratory facilities which now have ISO certification that boosts the
philosophy of consumerism, a core tenet in the NAFDAC safety mandate. The
seeming undue political exposure of NAFDAC appears to be drifting now to core
professionalism which is the ideal in ultimate public interest.
It also noted the creation of sustainable
relationship management with key stakeholders including all health
professionals, pharmaceutical industry and the generality of those who have
endeavors aligned to NAFDAC regulation.
The ACPN specially congratulated Prof. Moji
Adeyeye on the auspicious occasion of the 25th anniversary celebration of
NAFDAC, saying the agency is arguably one of the most impactful regulatory
agencies in the Nigerian space.
At inception in 1993, the health sector in Nigeria
contended with WHO/FMOH studies which put the incidence of faking drugs in
Nigeria at 33 per cent with a fatality rate of seven per cent based on a 1988
survey. A 1998 study by the faculty of Pharmacy, UNILAG, Akoka had even a
damning report through its review which put the incidence of fake drugs
traceable to open markets at 49.6 per cent and another significant 32.8 per
cent to PPMVL holders. As at 1998 the fatality rate had increased from seven
per cent in 1988 to 12.8 per cent.
“To the credit of Prof. Moji Adeyeye, is the
astuteness and doggedness in the fight against drug abuse and misuse. Her
partnership with the young pharmacist group in this regard is particularly
strategic,” the ACPN said.
The ACPN added that the efforts of NAFDAC under
Prof. Adeyeye who canvassed reduction in drug registration tariffs were highly
commendable especially B/C a summation of this and other factors increases drug
prices in Nigeria.
“We must also commend the concession in fees
approved for small businesses to thrive,” it said.
The ACPN commended NAFDAC as pioneer players in
the quest for a sanitised drug distribution agenda, as well as the
collaborations between the agency and PCN as championed through resolutions of
the 2018 National Summit of the ACPN.
“We look forward to more success stories as NAFDAC
and PCN jointly facilitate the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG)
which provide for new pharmaceutical premises designated as coordinated
wholesale centres (CWC) to replace the dreaded open Drug Markets (ODMs).
“While the PCN will register the CWCs, we look
forward to strict regulation of available products by the DG NAFDAC and her
management team,” the ACPN said.
