Orhii who recently led a 4-man top NAFDAC Regulatory officers to Washington, D. C. to wrap-up the purchase agreement is set to take delivery of 2 new ‘TRUSCAN’ devices that would enable a NAFDAC Regulatory Officer to carry out on-the-spot examination and detection of fake drugs and any other substandard regulated product.
The delivery of the anti-counterfeiting drug testing equipment will be preceded by a national survey and audit of all Drugs on sale with the primary objective of building a data bank consisting of identification marks and differences between genuine and counterfeit drugs.
The Director-General disclosed this in his address to the International Conference on Drug Anti-Counterfeiting organized by American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI) held at the same venue where the Truscan purchase agreement was drawn.
Dr Orhii who was full of excitement stated that NAFDAC was also contemplating the acquisition of mini-laboratories to complement and boost rapid analysis and quick detection of spurious products by the Agency’s existing Laboratories located in Yaba and Oshodi area of Lagos State, Maiduguri, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Agulu in Anambra State.
He pointed out that NAFDAC was also at the forefront of building an International coalition against counterfeit drugs through its activities at West African Drug Regulatory Authority Network (WADRAN) and International Medicine Products Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force (IMPACT).
According to him, there was need for even developed nations with the least problem of counterfeit drugs to join Nigeria in the fight because “resistance strain caused by fake drugs does not require VISA and cuts across international boundaries”.
Dr Orhii further hinted that NAFDAC was also encouraging private businessman to build Drug wholesale hubs in various parts of the country to help ease out existing open Drug markets and sanitize the chaotic distribution channels.
Executive Director of AEI, Dr Roger Bates commended NAFDAC’s Drug anti-counterfeiting initiatives and Dr Orhii’s pragmatic efforts to sustain the Agency’s leading role in the battle against fake drugs.
