NAFDAC vows to implement pharmaceutical traceability strategy to tackle substandard drugs
In order to protect the health of the Nigerian people, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, or NAFDAC, has promised to combat the threat of substandard and counterfeit medications in the nation by implementing a pharmaceutical traceability plan.
At the Traceability workshop in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Director General of the Agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, hinted that the difficult mission of protecting the country’s health is daunting given the disorganized drug distribution system that is now in place in Nigeria.
Adeyeye reiterated that NAFDAC had created a 5-Year Traceability Implementation plan in accordance with the goals of the Nigeria Pharmaceutical Traceability Strategy to achieve supply chain visibility and strengthen interventions against substandard and falsified medicines by the end of her second term. The statement was signed by the NAFDAC Resident Media Consultant in Lagos, Mr. Sayo Akintola.
According to her, adoption and enforcement of the terms of the Nigeria Pharmaceutical Traceability Strategy depend on the development, publication in a government journal, and dissemination of the Traceability of Pharmaceutical Products Regulations.
The Regulation would offer a legislative framework to encourage lobbying for stakeholders to establish traceability in the distribution of pharmaceuticals or supply chains, together with guidance and compliance criteria.
Adeyeye also pointed out that it is crucial for the relevant parties to participate in the formulation of the Traceability Regulation in order to ensure that all parties understand the rules and to encourage input in an effort to increase compliance.
Hosting the second Africa GSI Traceability Conference on Healthcare in Lagos in September 2019 was a significant step toward lowering the prevalence of substandard and fabricated pharmaceuticals in the nation.
