The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and GS1 will co-host the second African Healthcare Conference. This is part of efforts to eliminate substandard and falsified medicines on the continent. NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, stated this at a media briefing yesterday in Abuja.

 

Adeyeye said the conference, which will hold from September 17 to 19 in Lagos, will provide a unique opportunity for healthcare stakeholders to discuss how to work together across Africa to achieve better traceability of pharmaceuticals and improve patients’ safety.

 

She said: “NAFDAC is co-hosting the conference as a continuum in fulfilling the agency’s mandate, which includes the control of distribution, sale and use (or supply chain) of medicines and medical products.

“This is to ensure that these regulated products are traceable with the aim of eliminating substandard and falsified medicines (SFs) in the supply chain, thus safeguarding the health of the population.” According to her, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently estimated that one in 10 medical products circulating in low and middle income countries are either substandard or falsified, especially in Africa.

 

The NAFDAC boss said this accounts for 42 per cent of the detected cases worldwide. Adeyeye noted that addressing the situation would lead to preventing widespread loss of lives on the continent, including an estimated 64,000-158,000 avoidable deaths from malaria alone.

 

Over 300 participants from 44 countries, including over 100 representatives from healthcare regulators, are expected at the conference. Adeyeye also said the conference is supported by the World Bank, Global Fund, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA).