The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) has issued a response to recent social media claims suggesting that a significant portion of paracetamol tablets sold in Nigeria is under dosed.
In an official statement, NAFDAC refutes the allegations, asserting that the report is misleading and questions the scientific validity of the research findings.
As part of its commitment to maintaining high standards, Director General of NAFDAC, Proffesor Moji Adeyeye, wrote’ “As the quality culture of NAFDAC demands, as soon as the Agency became aware of the news, the Director General, had meetings with the respective Directors and gave a directive that a survey of the market should be done to sample and test. The DG has also met with the leadership of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Group of the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria to inform them of the Agency’s intent.
NAFDAC’s laboratories are ISO 17025-certified every year to ensure that the procedures used for testing are based on international standards and the equipment or instruments used are qualified similarly. We do yearly post-marketing survey of medicines to ensure that the quality and safety are maintained. Where there is a deviation from this, i.e., whenever we find any regulated product to be substandard or falsified, NAFDAC regularly issues public alerts or do recalls. In the last two years we have issued eighty-eight (88) public alerts and ordered thirty-two (32) recalls for medicines and foods.”
NAFDAC emphasized its adherence to international standards, with ISO 17025-certified laboratories and rigorous post-marketing surveys to ensure the quality and safety of medicines.
The agency assured the public that any deviations from standards would result in public alerts or product recalls, with a track record of 88 alerts and 32 recalls in the past two years.
NAFDAC also highlighted its use of well-calibrated and qualified state-of-the-art equipment for testing, employing international pharmacopoeias such as British Pharmacopeia, United States Pharmacopoeia, and International Pharmacopoeia.
The agency emphasized its routine regulatory post-marketing surveillance, involving five ISO-17025 laboratories across the country and a World Health Organization (WHO) Prequalified Laboratory in Yaba, Lagos.
The agency’s commitment to safeguarding the nation’s health has garnered recognition from WHO and other international partners, underscoring NAFDAC’s reputation as a stable and well-functioning organization prioritizing the quality, safety, and efficacy of medicines and regulated products.
