NAFDAC presents 7-year scorecard, signs Africa medicines treaty

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, on Tuesday presented the agency’s seven-year scorecard, highlighting reforms in food and drug regulation.

Adeyeye also unveiled Nigeria’s treaty with the African Medicines Agency (AMA), aimed at strengthening regulatory systems and curbing substandard and falsified products across Africa.

Our correspondent reports that the event, titled “Safeguarding the Nation’s Health, Empowering Progress,” also highlighted the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda on healthcare transformation and pharmaceutical sovereignty.

Adeyeye said the event was to showcase NAFDAC’s progress since November 2017.

According to her, “the overall crown of the event is the joining of force with AMA to further strengthen the system to curb the movement of substandard and falsified food and drugs within the Africa sub-region”.

She urged Nigerians to avoid unapproved drug vendors.

“Buy medicines from pharmacy. Get your receipts. The manufacturers are now better sensitised that they cannot just take their medicines to open market.

“If they do, they better know the open market because we will be coming after the open market,” she said.

Adeyeye noted improvements in compliance within the sector.

“In terms of change, the manufacturers are already changing. We have low risk, medium risk, high risk. The high risk are becoming medium risk. The medium risk is becoming low risk, and the health of our people will be better for it”.

She emphasised that reform is gradual and requires public cooperation.

“In terms of substandard falsified medicines, you don’t deal with companies that are not registered with NAFDAC. Don’t buy medicines from them.

“Please ask them to show you their registration. If it is retail, go to pharmacies where you get receipts. When you feel the medicine doesn’t work, bring it to NAFDAC, we will take it up,” she said.

On the treaty, Adeyeye said it would strengthen collaboration across Africa.

“If a country doesn’t have manufacturing facility, they can come to another country that has manufacturing facility to buy or do contract manufacturing.

“We are working together as a continent to harmonise and ensure African standard, not Nigerian standard but international standard,” she said.

Also speaking, the Director-General of AMA, Dr Mimi Darko, said the agency, backed by the African Union (AU), would benefit from Nigeria’s participation.

“With Nigeria joining strength with AMA, we believe we will witness better administration, we will achieve our goals. Nigeria is a strong ally in the Africa continent,” Darko said.