NAFDAC’s new anti-counterfeiting strategies
According to studies conducted by NAFDAC from 2001 to 2012, there is a positive trend in the progressive decline in the incidence of counterfeit medicines in Nigeria. In 2001, counterfeits stood at 40% due largely to the indefatigable efforts of the NAFDAC team under the then Director General, Professor Dora Akunyuli, this was reduced to […]
According to studies conducted by NAFDAC from 2001 to 2012, there is a positive trend in the progressive decline in the incidence of counterfeit medicines in Nigeria. In 2001, counterfeits stood at 40% due largely to the indefatigable efforts of the NAFDAC team under the then Director General, Professor Dora Akunyuli, this was reduced to 16.7% in 2005. Shortly before she left the Agency however, there were threats of resurgence of the incidence as counterfeiters too have not rested and have also continued to come up with novel ways of evading detection by NAFDAC and other law enforcement agencies. A study carried out in 2008 shortly before the arrival of the current Director General of the Agency, Dr Paul Orhii, on the Quality of Anti-Malarial in Sub-Saharan Africa (QAMSA) puts the incidence of the faking of anti-malarial drugs at 64%, which led the new DG declaring a zero tolerance war on counterfeits shortly after assuming office.
In the past, a common strategy adopted by NAFDAC is the use of NAFDAC registration number on packages to be able to detect fake drugs. But drug counterfeiters taking advantage of the growing access and sophistication in printing technology now manufacture fake drugs affixed with fake NAFDAC registration number and package them in such a way that they closely resemble the original registered by NAFDAC, thereby circumventing the checks put in place by the Agency.
It is in realization of this fact that the current administration of Dr Paul Orhii came up with a strategy that is not just only effective but one that is also guaranteed to place the Agency many steps ahead of the counterfeiters in such a way that every one of their moves is anticipated, checked and thwarted by the Agency. One such strategy is the introduction of cutting-edge technology by Dr Orhii that has provided a more profound method of detecting counterfeits on the spot. Technology like the TRUSCAN machine for example have been deployed by the Agency at the ports and entry points of the nation to carry out on the spot check of drugs before they are cleared into the country. The Agency’s officers have also gone to the 36 states of the federation and the FCT with the TRUSCAN machine paying unscheduled visits to medicine outlets to fish out counterfeit drugs and destroy them. NAFDAC is the first medicine regulatory agency in the world ever to deploy the technology and its effectiveness in curbing the menace of fake drugs has not only drawn the attention of international medicine regulatory agencies but has also made the agency’s DG, Dr Orhii the toast of the moment among foreign governments and in the industry.
Other technologies deployed by the agency to fight counterfeiters are the text messaging system (Mobile Authentication System) that puts the power of drug detection into the hands of the consumers who can send a direct message using the code on the drug they are about to purchase to verify whether it is genuine or fake. There are also other additional technologies like the black eye and the Radio Frequency System technology introduced by the agency to help in the detection of fake drugs.
The result speaks for itself: three and a half years after Dr Orhii came on board, the incidence of counterfeiting has been reduced drastically by the Agency. A national survey on quality of medicines using TRUSCAN device was conducted by NAFDAC across the 36 states and the FCT between January 2010 and April 2012. The result of the survey showed that the incidence of counterfeiting has been reduced to 6.4%. Another survey on the quality of medicines was conducted in Lagos state in May, 2012 using the TRUSCAN device. Tests carried out on medicines comprising anti-malarials, anti-biotics, anti- diabetes and anti-inflammatories showed that counterfeiting was at 3.8% in the state which is significantly less than the national average. Lagos is less than the national average in this regard because of the emphasis placed by NAFDAC on the state as it is the main transmitting line to the nation. In addition, the Agency’s enforcement directorate is domiciled in Lagos, a factor which has increased the level of surveillance, the level of awareness and enforcement efforts.
These results in so short a period has drawn the attention of regulatory agencies in Kenya and Sierra Leone who have sent people to study NAFDAC’s success in the use of cutting-edge technologies. Dr Orhii has been invited three times by the Council of Foreign Relations in America to explain how NAFDAC is winning the war using cutting-edge technology. Interestingly, part of the DG’s lecture was used by the Council of Foreign Relations in its report to President Obama which also formed part of the US President’s submission at the G8 summit in May this year.
Another strategy introduced by NAFDAC is the WHO-Prequalification pursued by the Agency for Nigerian pharmaceutical companies. This is a paradigm shift introduced by Dr Orhii who felt that it is just not enough condemning China and India for the importation of fake drugs into the country, but for national security reasons also Nigeria must increase its self-sufficiency in the availability of drugs.
Durojaiye Olumuyiwa is a staff of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Abuja.