The
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has
refuted the claim that 70 per cent of pharmaceutical products circulating in
Nigeria are fake.
The agency said the claim is not
evidenced-based and has no scientific proof. He said such claim can also scare
foreigners and make both Nigerians and non-Nigerians lose confidence in the
country’s health system.
The agency’s stance was made by its Director
Special Duties, Abubakar Jimoh, while addressing journalists on Saturday.
It was reported how the Financial Services
Advisory Leader and Chief Economist, Project Blue PWc Nigeria, Andrew Nevin,
said at least 70 per cent of pharmaceutical products circulating in Nigeria are
fake.
He said this while delivering a keynote address
at the 90th Annual National Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of
Nigeria, PSN, in Umuahia, Abia State.
He, however, did not quote the source of his
findings.
In his reaction, Mr. Jimoh said, “Our attention
at NAFDAC has been drawn to a newspaper report citing a representation by an
expert (so to say) alleging that there are over 70 per cent fake and
counterfeit drugs in circulation in the Nigerian market. That 70 per cent of
all drugs circulating in Nigeria and Africa are counterfeit.
“I don’t know where the man drew that statement
from because it was not referred to any study that was carried out. It was just
one of the careless statements that people just say carelessly either under the
guise of making a sensational news or I don’t know what he wants to achieve by
that.
“Ordinarily, we don’t respond to such statement
but since he described himself as an expert and that he is coming from outside
the country, we believe that we have to take it seriously so that our people
will not be misinformed,” Mr. Jimoh said.
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