The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it is ever ready to support more local manufacturers who have over the years shown a history of continued compliance to the Agency’s regulations towards the indigenization of drug manufacturing.
The Agency’s Director General, Prof Mojisola Christainah stated this in Abuja while briefing Newsmen on WHO certification of Sulphadoxine/Pyrimethamine drug manufactured by SWISS Pharmaceutical company of Nigeria.
According to her, NAFDAC will continue to formulate policies targeted at enhancing capacity of local drug manufacturers that meet global Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.
“These several policies includes, the 5+5 policy, the expansion of NAFDAC’s ceiling list and new policy on establishment of Pharmaceutical Plants in Nigeria”
She added the centralized GMP inspection for Pharma plants have proven beyond any reasonable doubt that the nation is headed in the right direction to assure improved competitiveness of Nigerian Pharma Industry in the global space while projecting toward self-sufficiency in production of essential medicines.
She stated further “the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was set up by act of the parliament (Act Cap N1 LFN 2004 as amended) to regulate and control the manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use of Food, Drugs, Cosmetics, Medical Devices, Packaged Water, Chemicals and Detergents” (collectively known as regulated products). This mandate no doubt bestow on the Agency the onerous responsibility of ensuring that only regulated products that are safe, effective and of the right quality are available and accessible for Nigerians at all times.
She however commended Swiss Pharmaceutical company for the gigantic feat achivied within a short period of time adding that they remain the first indigenous manufacturer in Nigeria to achieve this laudable feat in West and Central Africa.
“This is possible because of the meaningful collaboration between the Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited and NAFDAC as well as a systematic implementation of policies earlier mentioned.
With this achievement, Swiss Pharma has added to it’s arsenal of firsts, being the first manufacturer to be recognized by the WHO as operating at an acceptable level of compliance to GMP requirements in West Africa in 2013.
The manufacturer is now also the first manufacturer of finished pharmaceutical product to attain prequalification of 2 products in the West Africa and Central Africa Sub-region within the time space of 15months.
Recall that on the 2nd of May 2023, the WHO Prequalification Unit added Pediatric Zinc Sulphate tablet (20mg dispersible tablet) manufactured by Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited to its list of prequalified medicines.
She also commended the Agencys GMP inspectors for providing immense technical support prior to WHO’s site inspection and also providing valuable insight into objective review of Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) taken to address the few observed non-conformances recorded during WHO’s inspection in addition to several face-to-face meetings, phone calls and virtual meetings with key personnel of Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited.
In the same vein, the Agency also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Counter Terrorism Centre in the Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-NSA) as part of the national action plan to ensure the prevention of counterfeit medicines, use of medicines for terrorism, banditry, violent extremism and curtail of illegal drug trade in the country.
The benefit of the MOU as revealed by the NAFDAC boss, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye will help in death reduction and obliteration of future plans of young minds that drugs captured.
The MoU will also ensure that potential hazardous chemical threats that could pose adverse effect with attendant consequences to lives and properties of the citizens are adequately managed in addition to prevention of hazardous chemicals for malicious intent by non-state actors for development of Weapon of Mass Destruction.
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