NAFDAC on Tuesday described the counterfeiting of regulated products as one of the greatest challenges facing regulatory agencies worldwide.
The Director General of the agency, Mrs Yetunde Oni, said this at a lecture entitled `Issues and Challenges of Product Standardisation and Control in Nigeria: The Role of NAFDAC’ at the NYSC orientation camp in Umunya on Tuesday.
The lecture was in furtherance of an awareness campaign against fake and sub-standard food and drugs.
The lecture was also aimed at soliciting the cooperation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the fight against sub-standard food and drugs.
Oni said the youth had a crucial role to play in the fight against fake and substandard drugs.
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The DG, represented by the Coordinator of NAFDAC in Anambra, Mrs Christiana Esenwa, said that young graduates and the NYSC played major role in national integration and orientation.
She said the issue of counterfeiting of regulated products was one of the greatest challenges of the agency because of the strength of syndicates perpetrating the act.
Oni defined counterfeited products as those deliberately and fraudulently mislabeled with respect to identity and/or source.
“Counterfeiting can apply to both branded and generic products, and may include products with the correct ingredients, with the wrong ingredients, without active ingredients, with insufficient active ingredients or with fake packaging.
“Counterfeiting of regulated products is one of the greatest challenges facing regulatory agencies all over the world.
“With globalization, different aspects of production and processing of various regulated products are handled by a vast network of companies across different countries,” she said.
The DG urged young graduates to support NAFDAC in its efforts at safeguarding public health and ridding the country of counterfeit drugs, unwholesome food and other sub-standard regulated products.
Oni expressed appreciation to NYSC for the opportunity to discuss with the corps members.
According to her, that will further strengthen collaborative efforts between the two organizations.
“This gesture culminated in the establishment of NAFDAC/NYSC Community Development Service as public enlightenment platform designed by the agency in sensitizing the grassroots on NAFDAC regulatory activities,” she said.
The DG disclosed that NAFDAC had put in place stringent measures to discourage regulated product faking and save the country from economic retardation that came from such practices.
“The current law stipulates a fine of N500, 000 or 15 year jail term upon conviction.
“The law seeks life jail term and confiscation of assets upon conviction, compensation for victims where the counterfeit product is found to be the proximate cause of severe bodily injury, as well as to make counterfeiting a non-bail able offence,” she said. (NAN)