NAFDAC Gains Global Recognition, Nominated to Lead RSSH Committee

The consistent fight against fake and adulterated medicines and other regulated products by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has again gained global recognition.

This is even as the agency has been nominated to lead the Steering Committee for Regulatory System Strengthening and Harmanisation in Africa.

This is the outcome of a two-day meeting which was held in South Africa. The meeting was put together by the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

The Steering Committee for Regulatory System Strengthening and Harmanisation in Africa was established as a successor of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) Advisory Committee.

The initiative is aimed at having a forum that will harmoniise all activities relating to medicines and medical products so as to have a uniform system in Africa.

The initiative is also aimed at regulating medical products so as to ensure a common goal of ensuring the safety, efficacy, quality of the medical products that are being administer to the citizenry for better health outcomes in Africa.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, the Acting Director General of NAFDAC, Yetunde Oni, “NAFDAC Nigeria was made the chair of the two-day meeting and the first meeting of the AMRH on regulatory strengthening and harmonisation initiatives, regulatory system strengthening for medical products.

“The medical products covering drugs, medical devices, vaccines, blood and other blood products.”

While explaining the terms of reference of the committee, Oni said: “We also intend to look at regulation and registration affairs such that we will harmonise all our process. When these processes are harmonised, there will be ease in doing business because we can rely on another region to take a decision on the marketing authorisataion of a particular product that we want to consider in Nigeria. It is a gradual process, but surely, we will get there.” On why NAFDAC was picked to chair such a sensitive committee, the NAFDAC acting DG said, “It is a plus that among five regional representatives to be seated and Nigeria is picked to head the committee. This is because Nigeria takes the lead in the fight against counterfeit and fake products.”