The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a strong warning to patent medicine dealers against the sale of substandard and counterfeit drugs to Nigerians.
The call to action came during a one-day sensitization and awareness campaign held in Abuja on Monday, where NAFDAC’s director-general, Mojisola Adeyeye, emphasized the dangers of substandard and falsified medical products.
Represented by Bitrus Fraden, the director of post-marketing surveillance, Ms. Adeyeye stated, “Substandard and counterfeit drugs are fake, poisonous, and hazardous to human health.”
She urged patent medicine dealers to commit to providing only genuine products and high-quality services to the public. “Do not engage in any sharp practices just because you are driven by money; the welfare of the people should be the driving force,” she advised. “Contribute your quota to sanitizing the community against drug abuse.”
The focus of the campaign, according to Ms. Adeyeye, was to educate dealers on how to avoid dealing in substandard and falsified medical products. “Source your medical and drugs from the right sources and ensure your suppliers meet the standard. With positive thinking, we will serve Nigerians with products that are better by first scrutinizing everything before putting them on our shelves for sale,” she asserted.
In a related comment, Odoh-Theophilus Okwudili, the chairman of the Nigeria Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED), expressed gratitude to NAFDAC for its effective regulation and monitoring of pharmaceutical products.
Mr. Okwudili encouraged other stakeholders in drug regulation to collaborate with NAFDAC, stressing that providing guidance and support for patent medicine dealers should be prioritized.
