NAFDAC warns Nigerians against use of fake, expired drugs
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director General of the National Agency for Food medications Administration and Control, has expressed concern about the prevalence of counterfeit, subpar, and falsified medications in Nigeria.
At a one-day sensitisation campaign program organised at the Ibadan Business School in Ibadan, the state capital of Oyo State, she denounced the act.
Adeyeye, accompanied by Roselyn Ajayi, the agency's Zonal Director, issued a warning, stating that counterfeit and inferior goods could have a detrimental effect on consumers because of the way medications affect their bodies.
The NAFDAC DG stated that vigorous stakeholder engagement and sensitisation, especially with regard to individuals involved in the distribution of medical supplies, was one of the tactics the agency planned to employ to stop the threat.
"Our survey demonstrates that counterfeit and subpar goods are widely prevalent in the country."The results of this survey made it necessary to engage healthcare practitioners in dialogue about how to lessen the prevalence of inferior and counterfeit medications.
"The campaign and sensitisation program was implemented because, according to the survey report and experiences, it was found that counterfeiters and fakers are becoming more cunning and adept at exploiting the opportunities presented by technological advancements," the speaker stated.
Participants have been shown "what we have discovered on the pitch," she continued. In order to determine the best course of action, we want them to be aware of both NAFDAC's and our concerns.
"This sensitisation campaign is not coming to an end; we will continue to make advocacy trips to mosques, churches, traditional authorities, and opinion leaders to spread the word on how to avoid buying from people who are peddling phoney, inferior, and unhealthy products.
"This is just the beginning, and we have brought in chemists who work in medicine distribution to educate them on NAFDAC concerns, what to look out for, what concerns they have personally, and also how we can reduce these occurrences to the barest minimum," the statement reads.
Adebayo Gbadamosi, the chairman of the Oyo State Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, urged Nigerians to get original medications from licensed pharmacists alone, not from quacks, during his speech.
There are scratches on a few of these medications. To verify the legitimacy of the medications, you can scratch. The quacks will be deterred if our people become aware and quit purchasing phoney medications, he added.
