Tackling fake or counterfeit drugs in Nigeria and other ECOWAS nations foundering

The battle against the menace of fake, counterfeit and adulterated medicines has been a longstanding one in Nigeria. But the phenomenon has a global spread. While some countries have developed infrastructure to deal with it, the fight in developing countries such as Nigeria and others in the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS sub-region, has been floundering, according to reports in the Daily Trust newspaper.

Last week, former French president, Jacques Chirac, chaired the flag-off of a campaign against the trading in such killer drugs at a ceremony in Cotonou, Benin Republic, attended by leaders of six African, mainly ex-French colonies, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger Republic, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, and Senegal. Monsieur Chirac heads a foundation that tasks itself to tackle the problem. The leaders issued the 'Cotonou Appeal', a solemn declaration, and renewed their commitment to crack down on fake drugs and the trade in them in the continent. Nigeria has also signed up to the declaration, the newspaper noted. Evidently therefore, the menace of the manufacture of and trade in fake drugs has assumed international dimension, and needs such international cooperation to address.

In Nigeria, the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), came into being partly as the government's response to the growing threat posed by the widespread availability of the these drugs in markets and even pharmacies all over the country. Although such efforts have had some impact, the menace is still there, and growing, with deadly consequences, as we have seen in recent times in the case of a baby mixture.

The limited impact in Nigeria has often been blamed on corruption that is widespread in the pharmaceutical industry in the country. As a result, Nigeria has become a huge market for substandard and fake drugs. Some commentators have traced the problem to the federal government's decision in the 1980s to award import licenses for drugs on the basis of political affiliation. It was a period of acute drug shortage in the country.

"Many people who had no business with drugs and pharmaceuticals obtained licenses and became importers", a report said of the problem at the time. "Meanwhile, pharmacists, genuine manufacturers and importers were denied access to foreign exchange or forced to repurchase import licenses from those whose 'factories' were located in their briefcases".

NAFDAC seizes 960 cartons of fake drugs

Meantime, Nigeria's NAFDAC has confiscated 960 cartons of fake drugs during a series of operations carried out recently in Kano State. Addressing a press conference, the agency's Director of Enforcement, Alhaji Hashim Ubale said some of the fake drugs seized were 142 cartons of Tramadol Capsules, 574 cartons of Ibumol as DA-Ibugold, 244 cartons of Chloramphenicol eye drop and packs of Trivid tablets, saying the drugs were valued at about N300 million. He said one of the seizures, Tramadol, is close to narcotic analgesic and is very potent.

The Director stated further that the series of raids had led to the discovery of a large warehouse in Kantin Kwari market where the counterfeit and unregistered drugs were kept. He said in the warehouse, the agency arrested four suspects, one of whom was an expatriate.