NAFDAC Clears Backlog Of 6,000 Applications

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has cleared a backlog of 6,000 applications nationwide in a bid to follow the Executive Order 001 (EO1) on the promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Christianah Adeyeye said this at a stakeholders’ meeting tagged: “A Date with the Director- General, NAFDAC” recently in Lagos. In her report on the Ease of Doing Business and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) the NAFDAC boss said this was achieved through a decentralization of registration of certain regulated products which commenced since April 2018.

She said, “This was done to make approvals at the zonal levels more effective and the goals of MSMEs more realizable. This has been made possible after the creation of six zonal directorates and the FCT directorate”.

Speaking on Pharmacovigilance and Post-marketing Surveillance (PV/PMS), Adeyeye assured that the agency increases its pharmacovigilance activities and spot checks to ensure consistent product quality.

“We have as a result developed relevant guidelines and documents to enhance pharmacovigilance and post-marketing surveillance activities in the country,” she added.

She assured that within the regulated sector, the agency recognizes the potential and roles of Research and Development, saying that the agency has a responsibility to encourage further enquiries into such remedies as potential cures of the future could be in our backyards and in our forests.

Adeyeye explained that the agency remained undaunted in its efforts to reduce the incidence of substandard and falsified products and smuggling and abuse of drugs in the country.

“We are doing so many things to address the issue of drug abuse by laying an embargo on the importation of codeine through inspections and surveillance. “We are planning nationwide campaign on drug abuse, going to secondary schools to talk about the effect of drug abuse which is going to be a yearly campaign,” she stated.