Agency Urges The Public To Buy Drugs from Only Reputable Outlets

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged the public to buy medicine from only reputable outlets to avoid fake and substandard drugs.

The NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye, also cautioned Nigerians against patronizing drugs hawkers.

She said that drugs on the street have a high probability of being substandard falsified medicines.

Adeyeye expressed delight that the agency has reduced the percentage of substandard falsified medicine from 17 per cent to 12 per cent.

The DG disclosed that the agency needs increased manpower to be able to discharge it responsibilities effectively, especially for post marketing surveillance.

“We need a lot of staff. We need twice the number of staff we have right now especially for post marketing. Nigeria is very peculiar, surrounded by five countries that are not as strong in their regulatory activities as us.

“And we have to also help the younger ones so that they have a strong regulatory system because if one is weak all is weak.

“So we are doing a lot of interaction among ourselves. We formed a forum of Heads of agencies in West Africa we meet every other month to discuss our challenges and help each other so that everybody will become stronger with time.”