NAFDAC Destroys N2trn Tramadol, Plans 70% Cut in Pharmaceutical Imports by2025
Onyinye Apeh
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Tuesday said it has plans to reduce importation of pharmaceutical products by 70 percent to about 30 percent in the next four years.
The agency said this was part of the efforts to achieve drug security in the country.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojishola Adeyeye, who spoke at a press conference said that so far the agency has won the war against importation of illicit drugs and unwholesome food items into the country in the past four years.
According to her, the emphasis now was for the local production of vaccines in line with the recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) from 2022.
She said that the agency has done a lot in enhancing local production of pharmaceutical products in the country.
Shee disclosed that the agency now expects local manufacturers to submit their proposals from foreign partners on establishment of manufacturing plants.
According to her, “NAFDAC has put a premium on local manufacturing of our regulated products to ensure that Nigeria will have drug security and turn the tide from 70 per cent imports to about 30 per cent imports by year 2025. Part of the goal is to also mitigate safety and counterfeiting since ensuring the quality is much easier compared to an imported product.”
She also said that NAFDAC has been able to destroy N2trillion worth of tramadol which were seized from the ports.
She said that the agency in collaboration with Nigerian Customs Service seized and destroyed SFs, unwholesome foods and other unregulated products worth N4,000,260,000 in exercises across the nation and tramadol with estimated street value of about N2 trillion.
“The impact is there. Most of the Tramadol merchants have gone underground. They have been almost decimated leaving only just few of them there. And we will continue to pursue them until they turn a new leave and abandon the dangerous trade,” she said.
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