The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a warning to medicine vendors operating in open drug markets nationwide.
NAFDAC has urged them to prepare for an immediate relocation to the Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC) in their respective cities once it becomes operational following the recent Appeal Court ruling in favour of the relocation.
The agency cites open drug market as a major source of substandard and falsified (SF) medicines in Nigeria as the reason for the relocation.
Currently, there is one operational CWC in Kano, with plans for additional centres in Lagos, Aba, and Onitsha, cities known for a high density of open drug markets.
The court’s decided that the open drug market in Mai Karami Plaza, Niger Street, Malam Kato, and Sabon Gari areas of Kano be moved after a prolonged legal battle.
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director General of NAFDAC, hailed the court’s decision as a monumental landmark that reinforces the government’s commitment to safeguarding the health of Nigerians.
She stressed NAFDAC’s dedication to eliminating substandard and falsified medicines from circulation in Nigeria, given the unique circumstances of the country’s open drug market.
Speaking at a briefing in Abuja, Adeyeye expressed concern over the resistance faced from vendors in Kano during the relocation process. She underscored the necessity of creating the CWC as a government decision aimed at curbing SF medicines, aligning with global best practices.
She however noted that since the decision to create the CWC was a government decision mainly to curb substandard and falsified medicines and in line with global best practice, justice eventually prevailed.
She said: The CWC in Kano was the first to be built as part of ensuring proper regulation of drug distribution and sale in Nigeria, and mitigation of SFs.
“The chaotic drug distribution system in Nigeria has been a sore point to drug regulatory Agencies, especially to NAFDAC.
“This disorderly chain of movement of medicine in the supply chain, from the manufacturer to the final consumer is inimical to the efficacy of pharmaceutical products and is the primary cause of Substandard and Falsified (SF) medicines in circulation.
“To eliminate SFs, the Presidential Committee on Pharmaceutical Sector Reform (PCPSR), constituted in 2003 to among others, to develop strategies towards the sanitization of the drug distribution system in Nigeria.
“The Coordinated Wholesale Centres (CWC) is a product of the PCPSR. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, is one of the architects of CWC and in full support of the Centres.”

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