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ACPN tasks NAFDAC on stricter regulation, fake drugs, open markets as agency turns 25

By Stanley Akpunonu
04 April 2019   |   3:41 am
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has charged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to among other things ensure stricter regulation and more vigorous fight against fake drugs as the agency turns 25.

Director General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has charged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to among other things ensure stricter regulation and more vigorous fight against fake drugs as the agency turns 25.

ACPN in a joint statement by the National Chairman, Samuel Adekola, and National Secretary, Bose Idowu, said they look forward to strict regulation of available products by the Director General (DG) of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, and her management team.

The ACPN said while they have made some gentle strides with Prof. Adeyeye in the last 18 months or thereabout, they recognise some challenges that still needs to be dealt with.The Association identified that non-adherence to designated ports of entries for drugs (both airports and seaports) still encourages the distribution of falsified medicines in Nigeria.

ACPN regretted that continued sales of drugs in places where they are prohibited including buses and other means of transportation. They said 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 the country.

The Association said it is her 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.ACPN said it expects progress in the quest for institutionalising orphan and service drugs as well as the concept of community pharmacy Action Centres (COPA) to effectively coordinate self-regulation in community practice.

The community pharmacists said they should 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 traumatized pharmacists who have been embarrassed based on what we presently have,” the ACPN noted.The ACPN believes the great reforms under the watch of Prof. Adeyeye will reposition the pharmaceutical industry and that the ISO certification of laboratory facilities at NAFDAC positions manufacturers to enjoy greater exports of their prod
ucts in the months ahead.

The community pharmacists said 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.

They lauded the modest efforts of NAFDAC under the leadership of Prof. Moji Adeyeye with regards to national development by documenting for posterity some obvious areas which include: much better management of the internally generated revenue (IGR); creating sustainable relationship management with key stakeholders; reduction in drug registration tariffs; collaborations between NAFDAC and Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) that 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).

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