The Chairman of Greenlife Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Dr. Anthony Chukwuka, has urged the Federal Government to consider stiffer punishment for fake and counterfeit drug peddlers, as part of measures to deter them from the illicit activity.
He said without such punitive measures, unscrupulous persons who engage in the nefarious activity, will continue to expose Nigerians to danger, as their continuous involvement gives the country a bad name.
Speaking in Lagos during the unveiling of his autobiography titled: “My Wilderness Journey”, the businessman said the government should continue to evolve interventions that would encourage indigenous companies to remain in business.
He said pharmaceutical industry is too important to be neglected, as it requires the collaboration of professionals and other partners to drive its growth and development.
Describing his venture into the sector as a development propelled by passion, Chukwuka said enhanced capacity in drugs production would assist to cater to the needs of Nigerians confronted with one challenge or the other.
He said the industry is battling the menace of fake drugs and counterfeiting, which is not only giving manufacturers a headache, but also tarnishing the country’s image in the global arena.
He described a counterfeit drug as a medication or pharmaceutical item which is produced and sold with the intent to deceptively represent its origin, authenticity, or effectiveness.
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Chukwuka said he did not venture into drug manufacturing for the sake of profit, adding that his foray was propelled by vision, which he imbibed through apprenticeship and mentorship.
He said: “The younger generation should know that you must start life with a vision. You cannot be going from one post to nowhere, you must have a vision. You know where you are going. A vision is about futuristic life. So, once you have a vision, you will not deviate. This is why people should know that somebody like me, with a background that is not fantastic…
“But today, I can say that the performance is fantastic. People intending to do well in business must go through the rudiments. I thank God for giving me the courage to do what I did. And I am proud of that.”
He said the operating environment in Nigeria was challenging, perhaps the reasons some pharmaceutical companies were exiting the country.
Said he: “Yes, as I said earlier, my going into the pharmaceutical business is a vision. I didn’t go there to make money. I went because I got this vision during the Nigerian Civil War. I was just five years old in 1968. So I had hepatitis, an illness very serious. And because there was no drug, no food, no income, but through the help of the doctors then, they were treating all the children, everybody around us.
“Some had kwashiorkor, some hepatitis. So, after they treated me, that same year I promised God that any time I grew as an adult, I must be a member of the Red Cross so that I could treat others.
“That was what gave me the inspiration to go into pharmacy. So I went to school, I was a member of the Red Cross and I was doing my work as the leader of the school. I was treating people.”
Chukwuka called on the Federal Government to continue to package interventions for the health sector.
He said : “Every business needs the help of the government, I will like the government to raise the stakes in the fight against fake and counterfeit drugs. One of the ways of doing this is to put in place stringent laws on fake products. There are so many. I didn’t say they are not giving laws, but if they are punished severely, then no other person can try to do that again.
“Yes. I think increasing the containment measure is the question. Because when they step up the measures, one or two, three people are punished for doing this, it will act as a deterrent to others”
