THE Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP) has called for a proper regulation and monitoring of the pharmaceutical industry and for stricter laws and policies to be enacted with full implementation and enforcement in order to stem out the menace of drug counterfeiting in the country.  

They also called for more responsiveness and patriotism on the part of security personnel in charge of various ports and borders where these products are smuggled in from.

   They made these call during their 17th Annual National Conference held last week in Lagos with the theme, “Tapping the Opportunities in the Pharma Industry for Wealth Creation”.

   At the conference which also featured a Town Hall Meeting with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and attended by delegates and drug manufacturers around the country, they called on government to create enabling environment and encourage local investment in the industry stating that this will help in curtailing the wave of imported drugs which accounts for the 70percent of drugs used in the country and which encourages fake and counterfeiting, while also creating employment.  

      Meanwhile, one of the panel members in the discussion and Managing Director, Drugfield Pharmaceuticals, Pharm. Olakunle Ekundayo disclosed that a report done recently revealed that profit made on counterfeit products contribute an average of six percent to the world GDP. He further said that the profit made daily across the globe in it surpasses that made in heroin and cocaine combined together.

   Ekundayo noted that the fight against their activities should be taken to the sources of origin of their evil deeds by relevant agencies in charge of the fight and not to be totally centered in the country when they might have gained entrance and also called on government to encourage local manufacturing of the products.

   He wondered how these drugs gain entrance into the country even with heavy security personnel at all the ports and borders in the country.

   “How can our products manufactured here be cloned outside the country and imported through our ports and the customs clears them and allow them in?” he asked. “Our security agents should be responsive to what is brought into the country. This seems to be an organised crime and those involved in it goes to any length to protect their interests. The fight should be taking to the sources of their origin for us to be able to make any headway because the security agents at the borders don’t help issues.

   “The business of bringing drugs into this country should be regulated. We need to be consuming more of what we produce here. Government should encourage people who bring in products from outside to set up factories and produce them here especially those areas we have competencies. The idea of producing 30percent locally and bringing in 70percent is not progressive for the country.”

   Also, the Managing Director of Biofem, Mr. Femi Soromekun called on government to put more effort in the fight and enact new laws while also strictly enforcing the ones on ground to deal with the issue.

   Soromekun who referred to counterfeiters as “terrorists” disclosed how one of their company’s main product was faked with nothing to differentiate between their own pack and the fakers own but for the product itself noted that “if you have not had any of your products counterfeited, you will not know what it means to defend your products and join fight against this menace.”

   He called on the manufacturers not to depend solely on the regulators in the fight but also make individual efforts by empowering people to help in curbing it. He encouraged them to make use of anti-counterfeiting devices and systems such as Hologram of 20 bar codes, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Mobile Authentication Scheme (MAS), Stolen Products Investigation (SPI) and many others to limit their activities.

   He however called on government to step up fight against the menace while also calling for a sanitization of drug distribution system for effective tracing of counterfeited products.

   “Government should show political will to combat this menace”, he said. “They should enact new laws and enforce the ones already on ground. There should be good drug distribution system and sanitization of the present chaotic drug markets and there is need for regulatory authorities to continuously dialogue with stakeholders in the industry for better ways to tackle the challenge. Consumers and patients are so important to us and we should take the fight against this menace very serious,” he concluded.

   Another contributor at the conference and representative of Fidson Pharmaceuticals, Pharm. Abiola Adebayo urged different groups in the industry to team up and form an advocacy committee that can look into the issues militating against the industry and tackle them squarely.   

   He further called on manufacturers to always monitor and audit where their materials are printed and also raise the bar in the quality of their materials to make it difficult for counterfeiters to replicate.

The representative of the Director General of NAFDAC and Director, Registration and Regulatory Affairs of the agency, Dr. Monica H. Eimunjeze hinted that counterfeiting is a global issue which is not peculiar to Nigeria. She noted that the agency has been doing a lot to fulfill its mandate which is to protect the lives of Nigerians and will continue to do their best to ensure that the country is free of fake and counterfeit drugs. 

   Meanwhile, NAIP Chairman, Prince Gbenga Falabi frowned at the imbroglio between health workers in the country stating that the unrest is detrimental to who he refers as the “real team leader- The patient” and affecting the output and impact of the industry to the economy.

   He said: “Why will Nollywood not be rated higher in terms of contribution to GDP while the healthcare industry as a whole is regarded by the government as a mere social responsibility? 

   “Nigeria, the biggest population and economy in the whole of Africa, have continued to grapple with public health issues, despite this, we are not a destination for clinical trials of worldwide research work in tropical medicines.

   “Drug consumption is sadly dangerously low (despite Nigeria’s obvious potential with 170million population) which is the reason why our Pharma market is being described as one of the smallest when you rate it among the middle East African (MEA) region; only ahead of Zimbabwe among the 14 countries.”