THE Association of Nigerian Representatives of Overseas Pharmaceutical Manufacturers has called on stakeholders in the drug manufacturing sector to improve their surveillance of fake drug manufacturers.
The President, NIROPHARM, Mr. Ade Popoola, disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the executive members of the association to the Director-General, National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, Dr. Paul Orhii in Lagos on Tuesday.
He said there was the need to jointly fight against fake and counterfeit drug manufacturers so as not to distort the operations of genuine manufacturers that subscribed to rigorous ethics governing promotional practices by ensuring strict compliance to world class standards of drug manufacturing.
Popoola said, “The task of combating counterfeiting of pharmaceutical products should be the shared responsibility of regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers like NIROPHARM, distributors, healthcare professional groups, relevant bodies and the general public.
“We encourage NAFDAC to keep up its good work and sustain the fight against parallel imports by ensuring only products from registered manufactured are allowed into the country.”
Popoola said the association, which represents a group of world-class research- based pharmaceutical organisation which accounting for 50 per cent of the total pharmaceutical market, would work closely with the agency to fight against fake drug manufacturers.
He pleaded with NAFDAC to ensure that the duration for registration of products in Nigeria should not be more that one month as stipulated by the guidelines, as against the present situation where registration process was being delayed even when relevant documents had been submitted.
Orhii solicited for the support of NIROPHARM, being major manufacturers of drugs in the country to assist NAFDAC were necessary to stem the menace of fake drugs in the country.