NAFDAC seeks adequate incentive to boost local drug production

Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Christianah Adeyeye, has blamed the nation’s over-dependence on imported drugs on inadequate incentives for local manufacturers.

Speaking at the 91st Annual National Conference of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, she explained the need for the country to achieve drug security by encouraging local manufacturing.

According to her, the agency, in collaboration with United States Pharmacopeia (USP), conducted a survey on quality of select Maternal and Child Health (MCH) commodities, which revealed a failure rate of 74.2 per cent for oxytocin injection and 33.7 per cent for misoprostol tablets.

The DG revealed that the high failure rate of the drugs was as a result of inappropriate storage and handling from the point of production down to the end user.

“One of the recommendations in the report of the survey is to strictly monitor importers, wholesalers and retailers to mop up oxytocin injections that are poorly stored. Local manufacturers should be encouraged to produce medical products locally as shown by Juhel Pharmaceutical Limited, to improve access to quality medical products in Nigeria and ensure drug security,” she noted.

It is the responsibility of all relevant stakeholders, especially pharmaceutical manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and retailers, to comply with the requirements for proper transportation, handling and storage of drugs, Adeyeye disclosed.

Dr. Chimezie Anyakora of USP explained that oxytocin needed to be stored within two to eight degrees, adding that weak infrastructure made it difficult to preserve quality.

He said: “Medicine quality may be the reason for a treatment failure, but most times this is ignored. Storage and distribution contribute significantly to the high level of substandard medicines.”