The House of Representatives have pressed for intensified efforts to crack down on the production and distribution of fake pharmaceuticals across the country. It urged the federal government to direct the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), and other relevant bodies to step up their surveillance and enforcement efforts. This resolution was prompted by a motion of urgent public importance raised by Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi during plenary, following the unsettling discovery of a counterfeit drug warehouse and an illegal production site in Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area of Abia State.
According to reports, the factory was engaging in the production of fake pharmaceutical items, such as injectables, that were being sold to unwary members of the public and rebranding expired medications by changing their expiration dates. Ezechi voiced serious concerns about the hazards such risky actions bring to public health, emphasizing that the distribution of counterfeit and substandard medications may result in treatment failures, drug resistance, serious health issues, and even death. The lawmaker bemoaned the fact that these illegal operations were common throughout the nation and were not just in Abia State.
Lawmakers demand stricter action to combat fake drugs.
He cautioned that Nigeria’s healthcare system and residents’ health are seriously at risk of the unfettered spread of counterfeit medications. Ezechi urged regulatory bodies to take swift, concerted measures to stop the threat and make sure those responsible are held accountable. In response, the House commended the law enforcement organizations that discovered the unlawful factory and denounced the criminal enterprise in Abia State. The lawmakers underlined that in order to stop similar occurrences from happening again, NAFDAC and other regulatory agencies need to step up their enforcement and surveillance efforts.
They argued that increased surveillance is necessary, especially in isolated and unmonitored areas where the production and trafficking of illegal drugs frequently flourish. The House’s resolution highlights growing concerns about the spread of counterfeit medications in Nigeria, which continue to jeopardize Public Health and contribute to the nation’s high death rate. This call to action comes at a time when NAFDAC appears to be more proactive, carrying out large operations and uncovering illegal acts. In the past weeks, it has stepped up its enforcement efforts targeting large markets dealing with expired, fake, and subpar medications nationwide.
Regulatory agency seeks federal government’s support.
In a decisive move, NAFDAC closed three major open drug markets: Idumota in Lagos, Onitsha in Anambra, and Ariaria in Aba, as part of its continuous national push to purge the Pharmaceutical Industry of fake, inferior, and expired medications. After a significant operation in Aba, 140 tonnes of expired medications were discovered from a warehouse in the Osisioma Local Government Area’s Umumeje, Umuocheala. This large seizure did not include other amounts of substandard and counterfeit medications that were seized from Ariaria International Market stores during concurrent enforcement actions.
Further highlighting the magnitude of the counterfeit medication issue was the report of ₦4.7 billion worth of expired and counterfeit goods destroyed by NAFDAC in Rivers State. This action is part of the agency’s larger plan to remove hazardous goods from the market and send a clear message to those engaged in the illicit drug trade. Notwithstanding these achievements, NAFDAC has acknowledged that more support is needed to maintain and fortify its operations. The agency has urged the federal government to provide it with more resources and personnel to adequately carry out its mandate.
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Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, stressed that the organization needs sufficient funding to fight the threat of counterfeit medications and protect the public’s health. She emphasized that the agency must constantly improve its ability for monitoring, intelligence collection, and enforcement because the syndicates responsible for counterfeit medications are growing more complex. With the support of other regulatory and Security authorities, NAFDAC has remained committed to maintaining the momentum in the battle against counterfeit medications in order to protect Nigerians’ health and safety and trade.