NAFDAC Says Mobile Authentication Of Drugs Not Possible
The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Moji Adeyeye, has stated that mobile authentication of drugs is not possible in Nigeria.
The NAFDAC boss was reacting to a call by the House of Representatives, that the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) should use the Mobile Authentication Scheme (MAS) to detect counterfeit medicines.
In a statement on Friday, Adeyeye said the manpower and finance needed to implement the mobile authentication scheme was lacking at the moment.
“The suggestion by the Speaker to use MAS for all drugs regulated by NAFDAC is noble, and in line with the agency’s ultimate agenda. However, a lot of staffing and funding will be needed for full implementation.
“The limited authentication that is being undertaken currently for the two classes of drugs by NAFDAC sometimes result in overwhelming calls to the drug information specialists at NAFDAC secretariat.
“Considering the fact that NAFDAC has over 11,000 registered drug products, the manpower that will be needed to authenticate all drugs will be enormous,” she said.
