• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Coronavirus: Nigeria at severe risk of drug insecurity ⁠— NAFDAC

NAFDAC recommits to its mandate, begins sensitisation in Edo

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC), has raised the alarm that Nigeria is at severe risk of drug insecurity because of the outbreak of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus)  in China.

The Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, who raised the alarm on Monday in Abuja, said 70 percent of drugs are imported into the country while expressing fears over China’s inability to find a lasting cure to the virus which according to her may necessitate greater global restrictions on its exports, especially medicines.

She said the situation may worsen if urgent attention was not paid to local manufacturing of drugs in the country.

“We import 70 percent of our drugs, and NAFDAC is sounding the alarm that we have drug insecurity in the country,” said.

She explained that the situation had been worsened by the current Coronavirus threat, adding that even India was already feeling the insecurity because they also buy most of their active ingredients from China.

“If India is feeling it, then we should be praying (for divine intervention), because we don’t even manufacture anything but import everything, including the active, the non-active ingredients, and the equipment used in drug making,” she said.

Describing the situation as “scary,” she said that severe drug insecurity was staring Nigerian in the face. She pointed out of something unfortunate befell the countries from which Nigeria imports its drugs,  then the country would be in a serious problem.

“That’s why we are harping on local manufacturing of drug products in the country. If we fail to do that, then we will sink deeper in trouble, Adeyeye said. Achieving Universal Health Coverage will be impossible unless the country achieves security, she added.