The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said that it has purchased no less than 43 Truscan scanners worth $2,451,000 to verify the quality and quantity of medicines produced and imported into the country.
It also said it would achieve World Health Organization maturity level four and global registered authority status in the first quarter of 2024 as its new initiative to enable global trade in Nigerian-made pharmaceuticals through collaborative registration with other regulatory agencies, among others.
A TruScan is a portable device used for on-site detection of counterfeit medicines. It enables regulators and law enforcement agents to perform field analysis of pharmaceutical samples to quickly and accurately identify counterfeits.
NAFDAC Director General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye revealed this at a press conference held on Wednesday in Abuja.
According to her, the new initiative will also enable the agency to achieve batch release of ML4 vaccines to strategically position Nigeria for vaccine manufacturing.
PUNCH reports that the Chairman, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (Ret), has approved the reappointment of Professor Adeyeye as NAFDAC Director General on December 1, 2022.
Adeyeye, who was appointed in 2017, ended her first renewable term on November 2, 2022.
Adeyeye said: “It will ensure good manufacturing practices from Nigerian vaccine companies and ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of Nigerian-made or imported vaccines.”
Adeyeye, giving an account of his first term in office, boasted that his leadership has transformed NAFDAC from a distress agency to a revenue-generating agency in five years.
She said: “The inherited N3.02 billion debt was paid off during my first year in office. The sum of around N180 million was found to be fictitious. The IGR has tripled to N2.5 billion. User fees have more than doubled to N15 billion.
“From 2019 to date, the financing of International Partners (Cash and Technical Support) received amounted to $3,927,186.00. These funds are currently being used for specific purposes.”
Adeyeye also said that NAFDAC was reorganized and more addresses were created from 13 to 27 for effective management.
He added: “We established a culture of continuous training in the Customer-Centric Quality Management System for all NAFDAC mandates. There was an accreditation in QMS (ISO 8001-2015) in 2019 and annual reaccreditation since then. More motivated staff through training and better pay.
“The better financial management allowed the improvement of infrastructures and the construction of state offices and laboratories in Sokoto, Kebbi, Yobe, Ogun, Kwara, Osun and Ebonyi; In addition, the Port Inspection Directorate Airport NAHCO Office and the Yaba Drug Laboratory are completed or nearly completed, respectively, to meet WHO specifications,” he said.
Adeyeye also revealed that more than 140 new utility vehicles have been procured for inspection and other activities with more than N5 billion worth of laboratory equipment.
“Scheme and Condition of Service were instituted for the first time in the Agency’s history – currently awaiting approval by the Head of Service.”
“The asymmetry in the hiring of new personnel was solved with the FCC Certificate of Compliance on file; established tangible and sustained collaborations with sister agencies such as PCN, NHREC, NCDC, NPHCDA, FCCPC, SON, etc.), with some supported by Memorandums of Understanding; align NAFDAC with international standards in the regulation of food, medicines and other regulated products. The re-accreditation (ISO 17025-2017) of four laboratories since 2018, and the continued accreditation and re-accreditation (ISO 17025-2017) of Biologicals/Vaccines laboratories in 2019. All of the above are part of the WHO Requirements for Level of Maturity 3 that were fulfilled”, he added.
