The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has challenged pharmaceutical companies in the country on the production of quality products.
The call is in a statement signed by the Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made available to newsmen by the agency’s Resident Media Consultant, Mr Olusayo Akintola in Abuja.
Akintola stated that Adeyeye gave the charge during the 50th Anniversary of Daily-Need Industries Limited in Lagos with the theme “From Green to Gold: Operational Realities in the 21st Century.”
The media consultant said the NAFDAC boss urged pharmaceutical companies to take the advantage of the African Free Trade Agreement (AfcFTA) to boost the production of quality goods “as the concept allows free trade among African countries.
“Nigerian pharmaceutical companies must be ready to trade their products across the continent with quality goods that can be approved in different countries through continental reliance among regulators.”
Adeyeye, who also said that Research and Development (R&D) is an important creativity and innovation that companies require to incorporate into the manufacturing environment, added that research would encourage clinical trial of new molecules, immune-modulators, and complementary alternative medicines.
She commended Daily-Need Industries Limited for achieving a lot in the last 50 years, adding that “from the Penicillin Ointment, the company has grown to over 20 product categories.”
She stressed the need for the country to have at least five companies making pharmaceutical ingredients as starters, and one or two others manufacturing vaccines.
She reiterated NAFDAC’s commitment to support innovation and recognise the pharmaceutical industry through the Five-Year Exclusivity introduced to local manufacturers in 2019 for manufacturing and marketing companies. (NAN)
