COUNTERFEIT DRUGS: BABAJIMI BENSON MOVES MOTION FOR URGENT PREVENTION THROUGH NAFDAC MOBILE AUTHENTICATION SERVICE. | Shakiru Seidu.

All over the world, drug counterfeiting is a potentially deadly phenomenon. In Nigeria of today, it undermines every aspect of medical treatment and health care delivery and is a major cause of death. The problem of fake, counterfeit, spurious, unwholesome and adulterated drugs has rocked the Nigerian health care system for years on end.

A motion was however moved by Hon. Babajimi Benson, MHR, representing Ikorodu federal constituency, Lagos State, on the lasting solution to cub the problem of drug counterfeiting in Nigeria.

JB, as he's popularly called by his constituents, said the drug counterfeiting has contributed negatively to the wellbeing of the average Nigerian. Noting that fake drugs undermine every aspect of medical treatment and health care delivery and is a major cause of suffering and death;
Concerned that fake, adulterated and Drug counterfeiting has contributed negatively to the wellbeing of Nigerians and the illicit trade has escalated within the Nigerian health care system in recent times.

According to him, "Aware that in 2010, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in its effort to combat counterfeit drugs initiated the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) by pharmaceutical companies nationwide, which allows consumers to send by text message an authentication code to a designated number approved by NAFDAC to confirm the genuineness of purchased drugs.

"Aware that the MAS allowed consumers seeking to buy genuine drugs to scratch a coating on the packaging of the drug to reveal a unique 12 or 13 digit PIN that could be sent by SMS text to a shortcode 38353 and get a response within seconds indicating if the drug is genuine, or potentially fake or stolen. I am worried to observe that in recent times, there has been a reduced campaign on this authentication process and most over the counter drugs and infant syrups do not have the unique 12 or 13 digit PIN;

"Further worried that this negligence on the part of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have led to the influx of fake and counterfeit drugs into Nigeria’s drug markets in particular and the health sector in general.

"The House therefore resolves to:
(i) Urge the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) to ensure that the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) is re-activated and applied to all drugs in Nigeria;
(ii) Urge NAFDAC to as a matter of urgency begin a national wide publicity on MAS for the education and enlightenment of the public;
(iii) Mandate the Committees on Health Services to ensure compliance."

Speaker Yakubu Dogara, therefore referred the motion to House Committee on Health Services for further legislative action.

While speaking with MegaXpression Magazine immediately after the sitting, the erudite legislator said counterfeit drugs are dangerous; they  waste scarce and hard-earned resources, cause treatment to be ineffective, potentially harm the health of the patient. "There is no universal description of counterfeit drugs, but basically, it is a global phenomenon. Counterfeited drugs are dangerous not because of their counterfeit nature, but because of how they are created," JB revealed.

SHAKIRU SEIDU
Publisher, MegaXpression Magazine.