The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has declared that locally manufactured drugs in Nigeria are now of better quality than they used to be.

She made this known over the weekend during the 38th Prof. Victor Olufemi Marquis Memorial Lecture, organised by the Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, titled, “Industry, Regulatory, and Academia: The Future of Pharmaceutical Research and Development in Nigeria is Now.”

“Our products are now of better quality than what they used to be because of the regulatory system strengthening,” she said.

Adeyeye explained that a study conducted by NAFDAC showed that the top five imported drugs were the same as those already being produced locally.

According to her, this prompted the agency to enforce the “Five Plus Five” Regulatory Directive to encourage local manufacturing.

“It didn’t make sense to continue importing these products, so the Agency enforced the ‘Five Plus Five’ Regulatory Directive. About 30 percent of new or re-built local manufacturing companies in Nigeria now are a result of the ‘Five Plus Five’ Regulatory Directive,” she said.

She maintained that research and development must become a national priority, not an option. “R\&D is not a luxury but a necessity for national health security and economic growth,” she said.

Adeyeye also warned against overdependence on foreign support, insisting that Nigeria must leverage its local talent and resources.

“We should detach ourselves from our addiction to donations and handouts from other countries, as God has given us so much talent that is being wasted,” she added.

To further bridge the gap between academia and the pharmaceutical industry, the NAFDAC boss announced plans to roll out a pilot R\&D collaboration programme.

She said the project would involve selected universities and pharmaceutical companies working together on research tailored to Nigeria’s healthcare needs.