NAFDAC charges NAPPMED to comply with regulatory guidelines

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has charged the National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED) to abide by the agency’s rules and guidelines.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the charge in Enugu on Wednesday during a sensitisation workshop on “NAFDAC’s regulatory expectation of NAPPMED in Nigeria’’.

Adeyeye, represented by the South-East Zonal Director of the agency, Mrs Olajumoke Ojetokun, said: “all unregistered medicines remain fake drug since it did not pass through the agency’s vital registration process, numbering and check.’’

“The dangers of the use of counterfeit and unwholesome medicines are enormous and they range from pharmacological issues, such as respiratory depression (shallow breath and irregular breathing), central depression to severe drowsiness.”

He listed other dangers to include muscle rigidity, unconsciousness and coma as well as socio-economic problems.

According to him, the socio-economic challenges range from crime, terrorism, loss of economic productivity to pressure on the healthcare systems.

The NAFDAC boss further solicited the “active collaboration’’ of all the NAPPMED members toward the creation of a safe and healthy and safe country for all.

She also advised them to be vigilant in the market and their neighbourhoods and to alert the agency whenever they suspected any irregularities or presence of unregistered medicines.

Adeyeye assured them of a robust and cordial relationship with NAFDAC, provided they continued to collaborate activitely with the agency.

In his remarks, Mr Chuks Osuji, the Chairman of NAPPMED, Ogbete Market (Section B), said that the association was committed to work in collaboration with NAFDAC.

“We are ever ready to obey all the instructions given by NAFDAC and maintain a cordial relationship with the agency,’’ Osuji said.

Mr Oliver Ezemba, Chairman of NAPPMED, Ogbete Market (Section A), described the workshop as timely, saying that the association had longed for such an opportunity, where members would be taught the best practices and how to ensure compliance.

“It is clear that whenever someone sells an unwholesome or fake drug or medicine, it might be your family or friend that might end up using it,’’ Ezemba said.

In a lecture entitled: “Dangers of Fake Drugs to Public Health,’’ Mr Chike Obiano, advised NAPPMED members to desist from selling expired drugs or re-writing the expiry date of drugs or drug products.

“This action has led to incidences of drug failures and illnesses getting complicated,’’ Obiano said.

Dr Ejike Nnamani also advised the NAPPMED members to handle the distribution of medicines with care and ensure that the movement of medicines did not diminish their efficacy.

Nnamani presented a lecture on “Effective distribution chain for finished pharmaceutical product.’’

In the lecture, he said: “Ensure you do not expose drugs to hot and harsh temperatures during distribution or delivery. This will alter their effectiveness and make them useless.’’

It was reported that the workshop was jointly organised by NAFDAC and NAPPMED.