The War Against Counterfeit Medicine: My Story

Chapter 16 - Gains and Achievements

251 CHAPTER 16 GAINSANDACHIEVEMENTS Transparency in our regulatory processes enhanced our communication with stakeholders, thereby making them comply with NAFDAC regulations and guidelines. This helped us win public trust and confidence. It also contributed to the international credibility of the Agency, resulting in NAFDAC being chosen by several international organisations as the executing agency for their projects in Nigeria, the latest of which is the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) Fund Project for Vitamin A Fortification. Other government agencies and regulatory authorities both within and outside Nigeria emulate our management style. Our remarkable paradigm shift is a great inspiration to many. In an article by Don C. Adinuba, in the Daily Sun newspaper entitled, “NAFDAC as a Study in Management”, the author recommended NAFDAC’s transformation as a case study for students of management and leadership.56 Between April 2001 and October 2008, regulatory authorities from many countries and international bodies from around the world came at various times on study tours to NAFDAC, to learn from our experiences and strategies in the fight against counterfeit medicines and other substandard health sensitive products. Some of these study tours included; Government of Southern Sudan: The team from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Southern Sudan came on a working visit in 2006 to study our experiences and strategies in the fight against counterfeit medicines. West African Regional Programme for Health (WARPH/PRSAO): The body organised a study tour of NAFDAC for all the Medicines Regulatory Authorities in West Africa, to learn from our experiences and strategies in the fight against counterfeit medicines. The overall objective of the tour was to increase the knowledge of the participants from the various West African countries on our institutional and organisational system in the regulation of drugs and other health sensitive products. The tour was a prelude to the harmonisation of regulatory processes within the sub–region. 252 The War Against Counterfeit Medicine National Drug Authority (NDA), Uganda: The authority was mandated by the Ministry of Health to set up a framework for the regulation of food in Uganda. They visited NAFDAC from August 3-4, 2007, to familiarise themselves with our food regulatory system. East, Central and South African Programme (ECSA): This group works on providing adequate micronutrients to women and children through the food fortification programme. The team visited NAFDAC to study our food fortification strategies, and to share our experiences and strategies in achieving the Universal Salt Iodisation (USI) certification. Volume Of Counterfeit Medicine In Circulation According to a study carried out by WHO and the Department for International Development (DFID) in 2005/2006, counterfeit drugs in circulation in Nigeria dropped from an average of over 41 per cent in 2001 to 16.7 per cent in 2006. They also found that drugs unregistered by NAFDAC stood at 19 per cent in 2006 as against 68 per cent recorded in 2002. Earlier studies carried out by NAFDAC on the level of unregistered drugs in Nigeria showed a steady decline from 67.95 per cent in 2002 to 43.22 per cent in 2003 to 18.61 per cent in 2004, which is not significantly different from the 19 per cent for unregistered drugs obtained by WHO in 2006 (Figure 26). Figure 26: Percentage of Unregistered Drugs in Nigeria between 2002 and 2006 (Figures from WHO and NAFDAC Studies) __________ ___ Gains and Achievements____ ___ _________ 253 Reports From Hospitals on Declining Death Rates There were encouraging reports of declining numbers of kidney failure patients and death rates in Nigeria. We wrote letters to most teaching and general hospitals in Nigeria requesting a compilation of all cases involving renal failure and deaths related to it on a monthly basis, so that we could establish a trend. The very few reports that we received were very encouraging. The verbal reports from doctors on their positive experiences from the use of medications were also very comforting. Growth in the Health and Pharmaceutical Sub-Sector At NAFDAC, we believe that the private sector is the engine for economic growth. Reforms in the pharmaceutical sector led to the unprecedented growth of our local pharmaceutical manufacturing companies. They consistently reported tremendous increases in their production capacities. The sector witnessed a 35 per cent increase in drug production in 2002. The Executive Secretary of PMG–MAN attributed the sector’s improved performance to NAFDAC’s 100 per cent pre-shipment inspection policy for all imported pharmaceutical products...