NAFDAC committed to fighting fake products using technology – Adeyeye

The Director General of National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye has said that the agency is committed to using technology to fight substandard and falsified products in Nigeria.

The Director General stated this in Awka, Anambra State during a two-day sensitization and awareness workshop on Greenbook, Traceability Project and Paediatric Policy, on Wednesday.

Adeyeye who was represented by her Special Assistant, Mr Gbenga Fajemirokun, said the workshop aims to provide information, sensitize stakeholders and provide hands-on training to participants.

The workshop featured training on three major technologies launched by the agency, which can help consumers detect fake products. They included the NAFDAC Greenbook, Traceability Regulation 2024 and Paediatric Regulation 2024.

She said: “The agency is poised to use technologies and modern means to mitigate the activities of these counterfeiters, therefore, the need for sensitization of stakeholders on these technologies is apt.

“We will use this to ensure that the regulator and the regulated are on the same page in combating substandard and falsified medical products.”

During the workshop participants were taken through the rigours of downloading the applications on their phones and its use to detect substandard and falsified products.

The DG further explained the applicability of the technologies.

She said: “The NAFDAC Greenbook is an online resource for identifying a product's source, while NAFDAC Traceability Regulations 2024 provides a legal framework for drugs and related product trade items manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, sold, distributed or used in Nigeria to be identified with a unique identifier created by the brand owner to enable visibility and tracking of the product along the supply chain.

“On the other hand, the NAFDAC Paediatric Regulation 2024 is a special regulation to address the special needs of our children.”

The event was attended by leaders and members of various professional bodies in the health sector, including the Nigeria Medical Association, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Medical Laboratory Scientists, among others.