Speaking yesterday at the 23rd NECCI PR Roundtable in Lagos, she said that the illicit distribution and sale of counterfeit and subpar medications were endangering public health around the world and posing a threat to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.
Under the heading of "Fighting the Scourge of Illegal Trade In The Pharma Industry: The Role of Communication," she warned that the threat foretells significant financial losses, potential divestiture, and the pharmaceutical industry's closure.
Adeyeye stated that more than one agency could win the fight on its own and that a multifaceted strategy was required.
She felt that concentrated efforts were necessary.
The problems she listed included the lack of coordination in the drug distribution and supply chain system, drug hawking, the growth of open and street drug markets, the use of postal and courier services more frequently to send small packages of phony or subpar medications, the availability of cutting-edge technologies, lower prosecution risks, the prevalence of rogue online pharmacists and unregulated online medicine sales, ignorance, extreme poverty, and high living expenses, a shortage of medications, and the misuse of free trade zones and legal trade facilitation mechanisms.
In her description of NAFDAC's efforts to close the gap, she mentioned the organization's achievement of ISO9001:2015 certification and WHO Maturity Level 3, which suggests that NAFDAC has attained the status of a stable, effective, and integrated regulatory system for the efficient, effective, and transparent regulation of imported vaccines and medicines in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage by providing all Nigerians with access to essential medicines and vaccines at a cost that is reasonable, effective, and safe.
Nkechi Ali-Balogun, the convener of the NECCI PR Roundtable, stated in her welcome speech that the pharmaceutical industry is crucial to protecting public health, along with legal trade and a murky underworld of illegal activity that "undermines our progress."