The Director-General of the National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, on Thursday, expressed concern over the high level of fake, substandard and falsified drugs in the country.
She stated this during a one-day sensitisation campaign programme, held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Adeyeye, who was represented by the Zonal Director of the agency, Roselyn Ajayi, disclosed that the agency will pay advocacy visits to churches, mosques, traditional rulers and opinion leaders on how to avoid patronising people who sell unwholesome and fake products.
He said, “Our survey has shown that the level of prevalence of substandard and falsified products is high across the nation.
“The outcome of such a survey necessitated the need for sensitisation and engagement of the healthcare providers to interact on how the prevalence of substandard and falsified medicine can be reduced.
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“From the experiences and survey report, it was observed that fakers and counterfeiters are getting smarter and faster taking advantage of the possibilities and opportunities of advancement in technology, hence the sensitisation and campaign programme.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Oyo State Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, Adebayo Gbadamosi, appealed to citizens to always patronise registered pharmacists and avoid quacks.
“Some of these drugs also have scratches. You can scratch to know the authenticity of the drugs. If our people are informed and they stop buying fake drugs, it will discourage the quacks,” he said.
NAFDAC is a Nigerian federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale, and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, and packaged water.
The organization was established to counter illicit and counterfeit products in Nigeria in 1993 under the country’s health and safety law. Adulterated and counterfeit drugs are a problem in Nigeria.
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