The menace of fake and substandard drugs is a worldwide threat to humans and animals. This threat is a rising phenomenon, especially in developing countries where the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, UNODC, estimates that up to 10 per cent of drugs in circulation are fake or substandard.

The situation is worst in sub-Saharan Africa where, according to the UNODC, no less than 500,000 people die every year as a result of exposure to treatment with counterfeit or expired drugs.

In Nigeria, official government estimate is that prevalence is between 13 and 15 per cent. However, the National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, Eze Igwekamma, recently told the media that the situation is far worse.

According to him: “Our usually reliable and dependable research-based efforts indicate that we are back to the days of over 50 per cent of drugs in circulation being fake and substandard”. What it means is that due to this ugly situation, treatment is liable to fail in Nigeria more than half of the time!

Here, once again, is a glaring case of governance failure despite colourful public grandstanding. Way back in 2003 while the legendary Professor Dora Akunyili championed the fight against fake and substandard foods and drugs at the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, the government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo set up the Presidential Committee on Pharmaceutical Sector Reform, PCPSR, of which the current Health Minister, Professor Ali Pate, was a member.

The PCPSR advocated for the establishment of Coordinated Wholesale Centres, CWCs, for drug merchants and distributors in the four major drug markets at Lagos, Onitsha, Aba and Kano, with the Kano centre chosen for the pilot scheme. It took a court judgement to compel the stubborn merchants to comply and cooperate with the regulatory bodies – NAFDAC and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, PCN – and relocate to the CWC.

The difficulty arises, partly from the fact that orders to relocate are not accompanied with the human face of government financial support for the traders. It also arises from reluctance by the criminal elements to submit to regulation, as this will bust the rings of fake product rackets. Also, officials sometimes succumb to compromise and threats.

It is shameful that the CWC projects have failed to be fully implemented after over 20 years. We expect Prof Pate to take this personally and compel all drug merchants to relocate fully to the CWCs for full official regulation. Those who fail should be handled for what they are – merchants of death.

Unfortunately, rather than solve this problem, our leaders take the easy way out and run abroad for treatment, thus abandoning the people. This is unacceptable!

We demand an end to fake food and drugs in Nigeria

By

Ayodele Olawuyi
Admin/H.R Manager,
Success 105.3 FM,
Ibadan.