The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has bemoaned the scourge of fake drug importation into Nigeria.
Counterfeit pharmaceuticals pose a significant threat to public health, as they often contain substandard or harmful ingredients, lack efficacy, and may even exacerbate medical conditions or cause adverse reactions. In Nigeria, where access to quality healthcare remains a challenge for many, the proliferation of fake drugs further compounds the healthcare crisis, undermining efforts to improve health outcomes and combat diseases.
Speaking during a recent stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja, the Director General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that 50 percent of imported pharmaceutical products in Nigeria are fake.
She disclosed that the Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product (CPP), issued in the template recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), guarantees the quality of pharmaceutical products and the integrity of the exporting country.
However, she lamented that, despite efforts to ensure product quality, many CPPs brought into Nigeria are counterfeit.
Dr. Adeyeye’s assertion underscores the magnitude of the problem and highlights the vulnerabilities within Nigeria’s pharmaceutical supply chain. Despite efforts by regulatory authorities to ensure product quality and safety standards, the influx of counterfeit pharmaceuticals continues unabated, posing a grave risk to unsuspecting consumers. The consequences of consuming fake drugs can be dire, ranging from treatment failure to serious health complications and even death.
The prevalence of counterfeit pharmaceuticals in Nigeria is attributed to various factors, including weak regulatory enforcement, porous borders, corruption, and inadequate quality control measures. Criminal syndicates take advantage of these loopholes to smuggle substandard and counterfeit drugs into the country, exploiting the demand for affordable healthcare and the lack of stringent oversight. As a result, unsuspecting consumers are often deceived into purchasing counterfeit medications, putting their health and lives at risk.
Addressing the menace of fake pharmaceutical imports requires a multi-faceted approach involving collaboration between government agencies, regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, healthcare professionals, and the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Adeyeye’s call for stakeholders’ engagement underscores the importance of collective action in tackling this pervasive problem and safeguarding public health.
One crucial aspect of combating counterfeit pharmaceuticals is strengthening regulatory oversight and enforcement mechanisms. NAFDAC, as the regulatory authority responsible for ensuring the safety, quality, and efficacy of food and drug products in Nigeria, plays a pivotal role in this regard. The agency must intensify efforts to conduct rigorous inspections, audits, and surveillance activities to detect and intercept counterfeit drugs at various points along the supply chain.
She stressed NAFDAC’s commitment to stringent regulatory measures, blacklisting non-compliant companies, and taking swift action against those compromising product quality.
Adeyeye affirmed that NAFDAC is actively combating substandard and falsified medicines through prevention, detection, and response strategies
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