The Director-General of National Agency for Food Drug Administration Control, NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, has urged Nigerians to join in the fight against fake drug and food in the country.
This is even as the Agency called for more intelligence reports about counterfeit products from the public.
This was disclosed by the Agency DG, when she was featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum.
Speaking on the need for cooperation with the public, Adeyeye said NAFDAC alone could not fight counterfeit products in the country. She, therefore, stressed the need for support from Nigerians.
“We cannot be everywhere. We need information about such products’ availability in communities.”
“If you inform us about such products, we will be there within an hour or maximum two hours. We have done that several times, where we get intelligence.
“If found to have truly violated the law, we will shut the company immediately. We, therefore, call on the public to call our helpline on 080-162-3322 for any information.
“People can also get to us via Email:sf.alert@nafdac.gov.ng. Or report to the nearest NAFDAC office or through E-reporting platforms available on the NAFDAC website.
“Nigerians can also report via the Med-safety application available for download on Android and IOS stores. Or via Email on: pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng,” the NAFDAC boss said.
According to her, through intelligence reports, a lot had been done locally. She added that any company found violating the agency’s rules and regulations on standards would be shut.
She added that such a company would remain shut until it finds corrective measures.
“We have shut many companies, and from the higher up, they call me. But I say no, we cannot open them. But let them quickly do what we asked them to do. We are for business and we have, however, shut a few companies permanently.
“We are now higher up in terms of the use of technology to confirm substandard products. Especially drugs, called GS 1 track and trace mechanism,” Adeyeye said.
The NAFDAC boss further explained that consumers could scan the barcode on drug packets to know where they are from. When it was manufactured and when it would expire.
She said, “We have also digitized package leaflets, usually inside some products. With a scanner, you can download electronic information which patients or consumers can also read to know more about a product.”
“Nigerians could use their phones to get information about a product by scanning the barcode. And that could also be done through the use of an App.”
Adeyeye added that a lot of awareness had been done in the media like the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and TVC about substandard goods.
She warned, “If a product is too cheap, it is very likely that it is not good.”
source: NAN
Follow us for more news on our WhatsApp News Channels @
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaC505jB4hdZ5Yx9g82U