Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Partner NAFDAC On Vaccines’ Production

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group-Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN) has pledged to collaborate with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to launch Nigeria into the league of Vaccines and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) producers in the world.

The manufacturers, led by the chairman of PMG-MAN, Dr Fidelis Ayebae, said that the group would do everything humanly possible to support NAFDAC to continue to excel in creating an enabling environment for the industry to thrive.

‘’Let me assure you ma, that if there is one body in foods and drugs and other related chemicals which are under your purview, that want you to succeed more than anything else, that you can call success, it is PMG-MAN,” he said.

Ayebae, who is also the managing director/chief executive officer, of Fidson Healthcare Plc, vowed to galvanise other chief executive officers of pharmaceutical companies in the country to ensure that they have a collaborative relationship with the regulatory body to make its oversight responsibility over the industry most effective and help the industry to grow.

He added that his body would form a technical committee with NAFDAC that would work with the agency to ensure that the industry attains greater heights.

The director-general of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, at a hybrid stakeholders’ meeting organised by the agency in Lagos on Pharmaceutical Traceability disclosed that the nation has to maintain the Maturity Level 3 attained last year by continuing to adhere strictly to the Best Global Practices in regulatory responsibility.

‘’We are going to strengthen our operations and be more effective. We are going to get ML4. We are going to get marked for World Listed Authority apart from ML4,’’ she said.

Adeyeye, in a statement yesterday said the agency just met all the requirements of ML3, stressing that ‘’while doing that we got some requirements also satisfied under ML4, but not all. Which means our journey is not going to be as difficult as it was for the last four plus years’’.

She emphasised the importance of WHO ML4 which according to her would further boost the trade aspect of Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry without diminishing its health implications for the Nigerian populace.

The NAFDAC boss said Nigerians would be more confident of the medicines that they take since the process embarked upon by the agency is aimed at mitigating against substandard and falsified medicines.