The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has introduced a database called the ‘NAFDAC Green Book’ to track and verify registered and certified drugs for sale and distribution in Nigeria. The database contains information on 6,432 registered pharmaceutical products and aims to eradicate the sale and consumption of unwholesome pharmaceutical products in the country.
The Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, presented the database during a media parley and emphasized that it would be accessible to the public from January next year. Users can log into the website using their Android mobile phones to verify any drug of their choice, enhancing transparency and safety in the pharmaceutical sector.
In a bid to tackle counterfeit drugs, Adeyeye highlighted NAFDAC’s efforts, noting that the agency’s enforcement directorate had destroyed 135 truckloads of fake, counterfeit, and spurious products, along with damaged or expired products, at an estimated street value of about N16 billion. She attributed the rise in fake drugs to the challenging economic conditions, fueling the production and sale of substandard products.
NAFDAC has also achieved a 35 percent local manufacturing capacity for essential drugs, and the recent prequalification of the Central Drug Control Laboratory (CDCL) in Lagos by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is expected to further boost local manufacturing capacity for pharmaceutical products.
Despite the achievements, Adeyeye highlighted challenges such as the digitalization of NAFDAC’s processes. The agency plans to seek assistance from developed countries to overcome these challenges. Additionally, NAFDAC is working to phase out the production and sale of alcohol in sachets by the end of January 2024. Adeyeye also mentioned the need to increase staff strength from 2,000 to 12,000 and the gradual phasing out of harmful insecticides and pesticides.
The database initiative aligns with NAFDAC’s broader efforts to ensure the safety and authenticity of pharmaceutical products in Nigeria.
