Anti-counterfeit drugs war: NAFDAC deploys cutting edge technologies

Anti-counterfeit drugs war: NAFDAC deploys cutting edge technologies
By Mustapha Sumaila
Consumers
Abuja, March 15, 2018 (NAN) The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday said the deployment of technologies had helped to checkmate activities of drug counterfeiters across the country.
The Director, Special Duties of NAFDAC, Dr Abubakar Jimoh, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to mark this year’s World Consumer Rights Day in Abuja.
NAN reports that March 15, each year, is set aside as World Consumers Rights Day to raise global awareness about consumer rights and needs.
Jimoh explained that before the deployment of technologies in 2010, consumers in the country could not distinguish between fake and genuine drugs in the market.
He said that anti-mobile authentication and truscan technology services were introduced to detect fake drugs so that consumers would not take them.
“The deployment of these technologies has really helped especially scratch and text and that changed our regulatory activities in the country.
“Counterfeiters are part of us, they live among us, therefore they are watching what we do hence we must deploy new technologies to defeat them.
“NAFDAC is committed and determined more than ever before to fight drug counterfeiters and those involved in other unwholesome products like food, drinks, cosmetics and water,” he said.
Jimoh, who is also the NAFDAC’s spokesman, said that the agency remained committed to safeguard the health of 180 million Nigerians.
According to him, there is need for collective responsibilities from every Nigerian to fight counterfeit drugs and other unwholesome products.
He noted that NAFDAC has created a unit to attend to complains from the general public, but people have not been using such office to address their problems.
The spokesman stated that the new Director-General of the agency, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, was intensifying public enlightenment campaigns and advocacies to tackle drug counterfeiting and other unwholesome products. (NAN)
MS/AOM/MST
Edited by Abdullahi Mohammed/Muhammad Suleiman Tola