From manufacturing to pharmacy, medicines often endure long journeys before they are consumed.
Complex supply-chains with fluctuating storage conditions can lower the quality of medicines or open up opportunities for the infiltration of falsified products.
According to Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) President, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, this poses a serious problem in a country like Nigeria that depends on imports for most of its essential medicine needs.
The PSN chief, who spoke during the World Pharmacists Day, lamented that lack of quality medicines remained a big issue in the country mainly because of menace of fake drugs.
He attributed the problem of falsified medicines to import, which he insisted is more difficult to monitor and regulate. Although Ohuabunwa admitted that the prevalence of falsified medicines is no longer high, he insisted that the majority of falsified medicines are imported. It’s easier to monitor local manufacturers, especially under a more efficient leadership being provided by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, he said.
If local production of essential pharmaceutical products is encouraged by the government, Ohuabunwa believes the tide can change – to the betterment of patients. To achieve this, he recommended regulation and technology. He identified infrastructure, and drug control gaps as challenges hindering improvement of pharmaceutical care.
The PSN boss said lack of support by policy makers and cooperation by other healthcare professionals is widening the gap in the quality of healthcare between Nigeria and other countries, including those in our level of development.
He stressed on the need for improved transportation and electricity, which he said would “have a big effect on the delivery of safe and effective medicines to Nigerians through timely delivery of pharmaceutical products and adequate storage temperature, especially for cold chain products, like vaccines and other heat sensitive products.”
He added that ethical and psychotropic drugs must be taken from the streets, stressing that this is part of what the pharmacy bill will do if passed into law.
“The control of dangerous drugs and every day medications goes beyond forming of committees. The laws are archaic and offenders leverage this to promote the illicit circulation of these silent weapons of mass destruction. The National Drug Distribution Guidelines was conceptualised about seven years ago, which would have addressed the open drug market and reduce irresponsible access to medication and counterfeiting to tolerable level. It is unfortunate that this proposition is yet to see the light of day,” he said.
On the regulation of pharmaceutical practice, the PSN chief said the regulation needs to wholesale to have the desired positive impact that can enhance healthcare outcomes in the country. “The regulation of medicines must be total as drugs are potential poisons and need to be handled with adequate knowledge.
He added that the PSN is working with regulatory bodies to ensure the pharmacy space is opened up for more practitioners, to guarantee access to medication for the public through the establishment of satellite pharmacies, which can only be achieved with the signing of the pharmacy bill into law.
Instead of concentrating in urban centres alone, he said satellite pharmacies would encourage pharmacists to open up outlets in rural areas so that more Nigerians can have access to quality and safe medicines.
On what he expected Nigerians to benefit from the World Pharmacists Day, Ohuabunwa advised the public to stop patronising fake medicine dealers, stressing that it is only pharmacists that are trained in the handling and compositions of drugs.
He stressed that there are five basic rights that must be followed at all times before medication safety can be assured. According to him, the five rights are ensuring the right dose of the right medication is administered to the right patient at the right time and by the right route. As simple as this may appear, he warned that such rights are personalised for each patient, since they are modified by demography, health condition, physiological status and possible allergies.
