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Kaduna: NAFDAC Sensitises Residents On Substandard, Falsified Medicines
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Thursday, held a community sensitisation workshop for stakeholders on standard and falsified medicines in Nigeria.
Speaking during the workshop, the Director of the North-West Zone of the agency, Bala Mshelia, said the workshop was to sensitise the stakeholders on substandard and falsified medicines.
He said that they have become a global problem that presents enormous public health challenges to ‘National Medicines Regulatory Authorities’.
Mshelia said that NAFDAC was maximizing the efforts to curb the menace of such in the state.
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He chided the unpatriotic business men and women involved in the illegal manufacture, importation and distribution of substandard and falsified medicines.
According to him, they mostly target medicines with a high volume of use for the treatment of diseases of public health interest.
He added, “The classes of medicines targeted include: Antimalarials, antibiotics, anti-hypertensives,anti-diabetic agents and lifestyle drugs.”
The director urged the stakeholders to join in the fight to ensure that all drugs were safe for usage.
Mshelia said, “As we proceed with this workshop, let us remember that the fight against substandard and falsified medicines is not one that can be won in isolation.
“It requires collaboration between government agencies, healthcare professionals, law enforcement, and the public.
”Together, we can create a future where every medicine on the shelf is safe, genuine, and beneficial to the health of our communities.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in the state, Mr Sunday UKoh, appreciated NAFDAC for the timely sensitisation.
He urged that all the stakeholders must be on the tools to do the needful.
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Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists, Abosede Garba, lamented the prevalence of substandard and falsified medicines.
She said that it was not just a challenge for healthcare professionals but a grave public health concern that affects the lives of millions of people.
Abosede said the counterfeited products jeopardise the health of patients, undermining the credibility of the healthcare system, and threaten the progress made in fighting diseases.
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