Jonathan flags off NAFDAC’s anti-counterfeiting cutting-edge Technologies

Posted by admin Headlines Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

The fight against counterfeiting, tampering and diversion of pharmaceuticals is a global and complex challenge. Consequently, the traditional definition of drug safety has entailed the additional dimension of drug security or more precisely security of the supply chain.

In this light, consumers, look up to the government to protect them from “unsafe” drugs. And the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has provided solution by introducing cutting-edge anti-counterfeiting technologies in the country to fight the menace of fake drugs and safeguard the health of the nation.

Recent development have revealed that only a cross-functional and integrated approach can be successful in defeating counterfeiting and fraud as well as the diversion of pharmaceutical products. That is why the use of these anti-counterfeiting technologies should be embraced extensively by consumers of pharmaceuticals products and pharmaceutical companies should equally employ security technologies in packaging, primarily to support product authentication, provide an indication of a drug purity and allow supply chain to be tracked.

This will enable pharmaceutical companies to raise the bar for counterfeiters and thereby protect their most valuable assets, that is, consumer of their products.

In his address on the official flag-off of NAFDAC’s anti-counterfeiting cutting-edge technologies at Abuja recently, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan who was represented by the Hon. Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, noted that counterfeit medicines pose a great threat to public health and the attainment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4,5 and 6.

Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4,5 and 6 calls for a reduction of infant mortality, improving maternal health as well as to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. “Counterfeit medicine deny our people the right to safe, effective and quality medicines, robbing us of valued manpower resources and economic benefits and undermining our efforts at securing quality healthcare for our citizenry,” he said.

“This administration is proud of this development,” he continued, “and will continue to support NAFDAC in the call for the establishment of international convention against drug counterfeiting. I wish to assure you that I will carry the campaign for support international collaboration through IMPACT, the Cotonou Appeal and other bodies, amongst all member states of the ECOWAS, the Africa Union and to the United Nations to achieve this objective.

“The novel approach of NAFDAC in dealing with the issue of counterfeit medicines is a step in the right direction. The stratified deployment of cutting-edge technologies we have seen here, The Truscan, the SMS Text Messaging System, the Radio Frequency Identification System and the Black Eye, is an attempt to protect consumers and ensure that they have access to safe, quality and efficacious medicines, is highly commendable.

“Our success in this area is serving as a case study to the world as work towards sanitizing the pharmaceutical sector.”

President Goodluck Jonathan therefore charged manufacturers and importers to avail themselves the opportunity to embrace the use of any of these new technologies to protect their products from being counterfeited. “It is my expectation that NAFDAC, the pharmaceutical industry and other stakeholders in the healthcare sector will work out modalities to ensure that the effective implementation of these technologies for susceptible products are carried out as soon as possible,” he stated.
In a goodwill message, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Mahmud Yayale Ahmed declared that the Federal Government is certain that the confidence reposed on NAFDAC to safeguard and promote the health of the nation has not been misplaced. “The agency has demonstrated and continue to demonstrate that she is on top of her mandate and ahead of the counterfeiters in adopting cutting-edge technologies in the fight against fake and counterfeit medicines, as demonstrated by this launch.

“I hereby reinstate Federal Government’s commitment to continually support such laudable initiatives and will also appeal to all Nigerians to support the worthwhile endeavours of NAFDAC in its determination to reduce the menace of fake drugs to the barest minimum,” he said.
Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr Paul Orhii disclosed that one third of the world’s population lacks access to essential drugs with this occurring mostly in developing countries. “The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that roughly 270 million people in Africa lack regular access to even the most essential medicines.”

“Drug counterfeiting is a major obstacle that prevents access to safe, quality and efficacious medicines and has become a goal problem. According to the World Customs Service, drug counterfeiting has become a $200 billion business annually.

Counterfeiters target drugs with high volume of use with its attendant negative impact on public health.”
Dr Orhii further revealed that a study conducted by NAFDAC in collaboration with WHO and Department for International Development (DFID) in 2006, pharmaceutical counterfeits in Nigeria stood at 16.7 percent as against the previous 45 percent in 2001. “This figure is unacceptable and we have declared zero tolerance to counterfeit drugs and other regulated products in Nigeria.”
Continuing, he said, “we are the first Medicine Regulatory Authority to deploy and use Truscan, a brand held device with resounding success at borders and within the country to detect counterfeit medicines on the spot.

“NAFDAC have launched the World’s First Anti-counterfeiting Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) using Short Message Service (SMS) for end-patient regulated medication authentication.
“We recently launched the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system for verification of regulated and documents. The system has the potential to enable the track and trace of regulated products and prevent forgery of sensitive documents. We also recently deployed a new equipment using Information Technology known as the “Black Eye” for the detection of counterfeit medicines,” he said.

-Sun

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