The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has launched an upgraded Med Safety App aimed at strengthening the reporting of substandard and falsified medical products as well as adverse drug reactions across Nigeria.

The agency said the improved digital platform would enable healthcare professionals and members of the public to report suspicious medicines and harmful drug reactions quickly, easily and securely, as part of efforts to enhance medicine safety monitoring and post-marketing surveillance.

According to NAFDAC, substandard and falsified medical products remain a major public health challenge, contributing to treatment failure, prolonged illness, antimicrobial resistance, disability and preventable deaths.

The agency said the upgraded application features a more user-friendly interface, simplified reporting procedures, enhanced data management systems and improved feedback mechanisms. Users can also upload photographs and relevant product information to support investigations.

NAFDAC explained that the platform allows users to report medicines with suspicious characteristics, including altered expiry dates, unusual packaging, questionable registration numbers, poor quality and unexpected treatment failures.

The app also enables the reporting of adverse drug reactions such as allergic reactions, unexpected side effects and other harmful responses experienced after using medical products.

The agency said reports submitted through the application would assist regulators in detecting substandard and falsified products early, facilitating prompt investigations and regulatory interventions, removing unsafe products from circulation and improving evidence-based decision-making.

NAFDAC noted that public participation remains critical in the fight against poor-quality and counterfeit medicines, adding that reports from citizens would help authorities identify emerging threats and issue timely public alerts where necessary.

The agency said there had already been increased reporting of suspected substandard and falsified medicines since the introduction of the upgraded platform, describing the response as encouraging.

NAFDAC urged healthcare professionals, pharmacists, doctors, nurses, community health workers, patients and caregivers to download and actively use the application whenever they encounter suspicious products or adverse drug reactions.

The agency also advised consumers to purchase medicines only from authorised and reputable sources and remain vigilant for signs of falsified products.

The Med Safety App is available on Android and iOS devices and can also be accessed through web and desktop versions, according to NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye.