The Chairman, NAFDAC Governing Council, Mr Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, has urged delegates to the African Medicine Quality Forum (AMQF) to come up with regulations that would tackle the menace of substandard medicines in African continent.
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Abdul-Kadir, who made the remarks on the third day of the AMQF conference held in Abuja, stressed the need for delegates to focus on their activities.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the AMQF conference began on Feb. 24 and expected to end on Feb. 28 in Abuja.
The Chairman said that the menace of illicit drugs was becoming a big threat to the internal security of the African continent, adding that there was need for the delegates to rise up to tackle the challenge.
“Your particular effort in quality control of medicines, in collaboration with enforcement agencies and key stakeholders, who are saddled with the responsibility of regulating dispensing of medicines, will provide a lot of respite in that regard.
“The task of ensuring quality control of medicines is by no means herculean in Africa and this has to do with so many factors but most militating is the purchasing power of vast majority of our populace.
“The vast majority of these populace are vulnerable to medicines that appear to them as cheaper but in reality are substandard and falsified,” he stressed.
According to him, Nigeria is making all necessary efforts to enhance all NAFDAC drug labouratories and facilities, and will continue with the training of personnel in order to ensure they are current in quality control of medicines