Pfizer seeks collaboration in fight against counterfeit drugs

To tackle the threat of counterfeits to patient health, Pfizer is collaborating with industry stakeholders to ensure patients have the information they need to avoid counterfeit medicines.

Counterfeit medicines often miss key ingredients and dosages or contain added harmful ingredients, a statement made available to BusinessDay said.

As a result, patients who take counterfeits, including life-saving medicines for cancer and heart disease, lose the therapeutic benefits they rely on to treat their conditions, the statement stated.

Olayinka Subair, country manager and cluster lead for West Africa stated the threat of counterfeits is not going away, and as a result, Pfizer is seeking collaboration with stakeholders on efforts to educate consumers about counterfeit medicine.

According to him, patients need the knowledge to protect their health from counterfeiters.

“Pfizer is seeking collaboration with government agencies, pharmaceutical organizations, doctors, pharmacists, and industry partners to help raise awareness of the growing problem of counterfeit medicines.”

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“Together, we seek to tackle this threat to patient health by stopping counterfeits before they reach patients, giving consumers the information they need to make the right choices, and supporting health care providers in our communities,” said Subair, during a courtesy visit of a delegation from PSN.

The PSN paid a courtesy visit to Pfizer’s office in Nigeria and the delegation was led by Cyril Usifoh, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.

He was received by Subair, who reiterated the need for industry players to join forces in creating awareness around the dangers of counterfeit medicine and pharmaceutical products.

In response to the collaboration, Usifoh said the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria as a body that seeks to maintain a high standard of professional ethics and discipline among its members would give all the support to work together with Pfizer.

“We would see how we can amplify by reaching out to stakeholders and see how far we can go in driving this campaign successfully,” he said.