The circulation of Substandard and Falsified medication in Nigeria is at an alarming rate, and not just this, the circulation of these dangerous medicines has led to the death of many and also left many sick.
In order to curb this form of menace in our society, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in the country started a policy which will ensure the regulation of wholesale distribution of medicine in the country, thereby ensuring that retailers will have access to a well regulated and original medicine.
Reporting on the progress made so far in implementing this policy across the country, The Director General of NAFDAC, Profesor Mojisola Adeyeye revealed the plans already put in place during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday.
She said, “This disorderly chain of movement of medicine in the supply chain, from the manufacturer to the final consumer is inimical to the efficacy of pharmaceutical products and is the primary cause of SF medicines in circulation.
“To eliminate SFs, the Presidential Committee on Pharmaceutical Sector Reform, constituted in 2003, among others to develop strategies towards the sanitization of the drug distribution system in Nigeria.
The Coordinated Wholesale Centres is a product of the PCPSR. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, is one of the architects of CWC and in full support of the centres.
“The PCPSR recommended the development of National Drug Distribution Guidelines as a key strategy to coordinate the drug distribution sub-sector and all operators in the open drug markets in Kano, Lagos, Onitsha and Aba were given December 2018 as the deadline by the then Minister of Health to relocate to CWC, Prof Isaac Adewole.
“The NDDG gives a clear mandate to the regulatory agencies, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, and the NAFDAC to ensure its full implementation and compliance by all concerned stakeholders,”
Speaking about the Stating the importance of moving the Coordinated wholesales centre in Kano and its importance, she said “The judgment that the open drug marketers should move to the Kano CWC is monumental because the control of drug distribution will be better regulated and the prevalence of substandard medicines will be mitigated significantly.”
“Since the beginning of my tenure in 2017, the drive to mitigate SFs is one of the eight pillars of my administration, and the efforts that have been made led NAFDAC to the attainment of Maturity Level three of both NAFDAC and PCN. NAFDAC had seven modules while PCN had one module (Site License) of the WHO Global Benchmarking,”
She further made it known that the same step will be taken in other states in the country while also noting the importance of having this in place.
She said, “Having the CWCs in the different cities is also part of the activities of the Federal Task Force that is headquartered in NAFDAC but operationalised in collaboration with the states.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare will need to implore state governors and governments to join hands with NAFDAC and PCN as part of the Federal Taskforce to support the building of the CWCs in other cities. A brief on this will be sent to the Honourable CMHSW soon.
“The medicine dealers should see this move to the CWC as a positive move for the survival of public health and as part of efforts to continue the fight against Substandard and Falsified medicines.
“Removing SFs from the circulation will make Nigerians healthier and since only healthy bodies can contribute positively to the economy, it will make Nigerians wealthier and the economy better.”