The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) are collaborating to curb the menace of drug counterfeiting.
Its Director-General, Dr Paul Orhii said the fight cannot be won alone, hence, the need to work together to rid the country of fake drugs.
He spoke at the 17th Annual Conference/ second town hall meeting of NAIP in Lagos. The theme was: Tapping the opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry for wealth creation.
Orhii, represented by Director, Registration and Regulation, Dr Monica Emujeize, said counterfeiting is an issue that demands cooperation of everybody.
The agency boss said it is a global issue, which affects public safety, thus it must be stopped.
He said the quest by pharmaceutical companies to get the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) pre-qualification has made the practitioners to improve in the sector.
“This is because they will be able to export their drugs to other countries across the world unhindered. This is good for the sector,” he said.
NAIP chairman, Prince Gbenga Folabi said NAFDAC should be empowered by law to check all containers coming into the country’s seaports.
This, he said, will ensure that no fake medicine found its way into Nigeria. “The agency should be able to do its job thoroughly unlike when the Customs invite its officials to conduct a check,” he said.
He described counterfeiting as “a global terrorism”, which should be jointly fought.
“Drug counterfeiting has been a robber of prosperity and killers of the sector, with people losing trust and confidence. The agency has in no little way helped to restore confidence,” he said.
He said sanity is gradually returning to the sector, adding: “The situation in the industry is not as gloomy as it appears. The Federal Government has renewed commitment to ensure self-sufficiency in the sector. This will lead to an expansion of the market.”
No comments:
Post a Comment