The National Agency for Food and Drug(NAFDAC) has warned that any product without the agency’s registration number does not have the regulatory body’s endorsement. The agency said in case of any crisis, they will only speak for products that have passed their rigorous registeration process.
Acting Director-General of NAFDAC, Mrs Yetunde Oni, also said there are products with fake NAFDAC number in circulation and asked consumers to be vigilant and report suspected cases. Oni who was represented by the Director of Special Duties, NAFDAC, Dr Abubakar Jimoh, in this chat with AZOMA CHIKWE, also said faking of products have health and socio-economic consequences.
There is increasing incidence of fake NAFDAC number on products .What do you think is the problem?
Well we are in a mess in this country. People are trying to see how they can cleverly do business in this country whether scrupulous or unscrupulous. The issue of counterfeiting NAFDAC numbers isn’t a new thing, it has been with us from tine immemorial, it has been there since the inception of NAFDAC in 1993. So, what we are saying, the problem is becoming a little bit complex especially in the area of pharmaceuticals where numbers are affixed and also the volume of products that are out in the market, which makes it difficult for average Nigerian consumer to distinguish which drug is authentic and which is counterfeit.
That is why NAFDAC has introduced cutting-edge technology in 2010 as a ready answer to counterfeiting of NAFDAC numbers. NAFDAC number is a scientific number that you affix. It is not just any number that you get like motor license which you can buy or get a plate number and put on a new car. Rather, it is a scientific process that gives a clean bill of health that this product is fit for human consumption and anything arising from it NAFDAC is culpable, that is why it is a rigorous process that goes through the process of good manufacturing practices ,inspection of factory and also laboratory analysis, so, it is a serious business.
Therefore, faking of NAFDAC number does not mean that people should stop relying on NAFDAC registration number, rather, we have introduced some cutting-edge technology. For instance, the pharmaceutical industries, we talk of antimalarials, antibiotics, that if you enter a pharmacy, you have to scratch and text the pin, so as to authenticate the number, that it is right. So, we will continue to do that.
In the area of registration, are there touts that represents companies to register their products and eventually give them fake registration numbers?
No. You rightly pointed out touts. When you use the word touts, that means they are not known to NAFDAC. So, if touts go and counterfeit numbers, it is not from NAFDAC. But any process that has gone through NAFDAC table and passed through various committees is genuine. Any outcome that does not go through the rigorous process is counterfeit, it is fake. That is why no matter how friendly you are to us, you cannot just come to us and say give me a NAFDAC number for my product because we are friends. Some people talk like this out of ignorance, but we educate them. No, it isn’t like a vehicle number we just give out, rather, it is an end product of a scientific rigorous process of analysis .So, many things come to play before a registration number comes out and the minimum time or duration for getting a product registered, from the onset of registration to the end is within three months. If you get all your requirement and you satisfy us within two months you can also get it but it shouldn’t be expected in a week, it’s not possible. With all the procedures of inspection, laboratory analysis and other investigative processes, it takes a lot of time.
What is your advice to the general public on products that do not have NAFDAC registration number?
Drugs that do not have registration number, do not touch them, because we cannot vouch for them . NAFDAC number is given because we can vouch for that product. We are simply telling members of the public, when you see a number which has gone through the process of NAFDAC and we have certified it . Anyone that has no NAFDAC registration number, no matter how qualitative it is , we cannot vouch for it . So, you are on your own. If you take it and something happens, you are on your own. That is what we are saying, that is the implication of that.
If you are a genuine person with a product, you rush to NAFDAC to have it registered and get your number. But if you are not registering, there is something you are hiding. Why should a consumer when he has alternatives and options use his own money to buy death indirectly for himself. It doesn’t make sense. We are appealing to the members of the public to be vigilant and we still emphasise, if they are to buy any product ,whether pharmaceutical, processed food , cosmetics, medical device, they should look for NAFDAC registration number. Whether it is counterfeit is a different ball game entirely. We are also in the process of updating our database so that we can post all the list of registered drugs on the website and it can also be loaded in a CD which people can buy and watch. We are also coming with a new application, even if you are abroad, can allow you to go online and confirm the authentification of a drug. Every day we are trying to stay ahead of the game.
What are the effects of fake products on the health of people?
It is terrifying. We look at it from the health perspective, socio-economic perspective . From the health angle, it causes damage to the vital organs in the body, liver cirrhosis, kidney failure, cancer and so many health hazards that are attributed to use of counterfeit drugs. It is an assault to public health and of great harm. It is worse than armed robbery. For armed robbers they can choose not to attack one if you give them what they want and spare your life but a counterfeiter does not give you any option, it is a gradual and indirect, subtle reduction of human population without even knowing it, leading to slow death or gradual death which people do not even know. Most of the cases of cancer which we don’t even know and cant trace its source, is the health aspect.
The socio-economic aspect is the reason why some industries are closing up when a counterfeit drug chase the real or original product in the market, by the time it is discovered, the company has closed up. When the company close up, there is a chain effect, people begin to lose their job and move to the unemployment market, therefore, swelling the unemployment market. It doesn’t help the government because the government are striving to reduce employment and people are there undermining it. The social dimension, it inflicts loss of confidence in the original product, particularly, in the area of medicine. A particular medicine you take you become relieved and does wonders for you, when you take the imitation, it doesn’t do anything in your body, you begin to start questioning the efficacy of that product and change to the alternative.
So, before you know the company is losing, even the physician begins to lose confidence himself, you treat someone with a product, he is not improving, you treat another, it isn’t. You start wondering what is wrong and also doubt your diagnostic capacity and efficiency as a medical doctor or as a physician. Some people tend to ascribe it to witchcraft in the village and all sorts of things come to play .What we are saying in NAFDAC is when we put a figure to counterfeit drugs impounded, that is what the economy is losing , If it is nine billion naira , that is the money the original company would have made from the genuine products. So, the counterfeiter is denying the original company of that money. For, paracetamol, someone packages chalk. It is poison. When you look at all the ramifications, it is heinous for the economy, individual and society.
How can somebody identify fake and counterfeit drugs?
It is difficult and also people need to look out for the registration and the labelling requirements. Counterfeiters are not too perfect, they leave a trace There is always a way of detecting them and some use foreign language on the other side of the pack translation , that is number one , it is fake ,it is not from NAFDAC. If it is from NAFDAC, in the process of registration, we will ask the company to correct the language on the label, some may be in Chinese and so many other foreign languages . Look out for spelling mistakes, even the packaging are not done properly.