Academia, Stakeholders Rally Round NAFDAC On Product Regulation

For three days, the academia and other major stakeholders gathered at the University of Ibadan (UI) for a summit facilitated by Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria Ltd in conjunction with the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to evolve more strategies on hygiene and healthcare products’ regulation. In this report, RICHARD ABU reviews the proceedings at the event.
It was one summit that the participants from the start to the end did not toy with and when the curtain was drawn on the conference, the stakeholders were unanimous that it was a mission accomplished.
The forum also brought to the fore the growing enthusiasm among Nigerians, especially private sector players to partners with NAFDAC to tighten the noose on producers and sellers of substandard products.
Among others, they stressed the need to enhance effective product regulation so as to protect consumers in Nigeria from harmful household products and medicines. The participants also charged producers of hygiene and healthcare products and regulatory authorities to remove impediments in the “provision of safe, efficacious and cost-effective medicines to Nigerian consumers.”
The stakeholders discussed the topic: “Medicine Regulation Of Claims: From Concept To Launch.” The security of consumers of various pharmaceutical products and healthcare service, according to them, has been a challenge which should not be left to the government and the regulatory agencies alone.
The conference was facilitated by Reckitt Benckiser in conjunction with the NAFDAC under the auspices of the Centre for Drug Discovery, Development and Production (CDDDP), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ibadan.
The meeting, which was dominated by key officials of regulatory agencies, household manufacturers and the academia declared that while federal government should establish “strong regulatory framework with clear mission, solid legal basis, realistic objectives, appropriate organisational structure and the capacity to exert effective market control,” stakeholders, especially those in the hygiene and healthcare sector, must not adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
In his presentation, the director-general of NAFDAC, Dr Paul Orhii, said he was convinced that the conference would “foster greater collaboration among the stakeholders in the overall interest of consumers of household and health and hygiene products in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.” He urged other corporate bodies to emulate Reckitt Benckiser in the promotion of healthier peoples in Africa.
On the standardisation of herbal therapy in Nigeria, Orhii said the preponderance of herbal products in the market and concern over their safety, made it imperative for stakeholders to examine their production and distribution. Ohii remarked that many herbal products might not be safe and have serious side effects when used in excessive amount or when combined with other herbs or drugs.
The NAFDAC boss hinted that a committee of experts had been set up to identify best ways to assist manufacturers meet national and international standards on safety, efficacy and quality.
Reckitt Benckiser Nigeria Ltd managing director, Mr Rahul Murgai, stressed the company’s commitment to the safety of its products. Murgai said that as a global company, its vision is to make a difference “by giving consumers and communities innovative solutions for healthier lives and happier homes.”
Murgai stated the company had delivered on this promise with over 19 global brands on its stables across the health and hygiene segments.
He urged all stakeholders to work together to ensure faster access to quality household and medicinal products for consumers to live healthier lives and have happy homes. ‘‘We have been partnering with various organisations in terms of driving this vision and bringing products into the market. We have been advocating health and hygiene and safety standards by partnering with NGOs and reaching out to new mothers, going to schools and teaching children healthy habits. Apart from that, we are also partnering in the area of safety, reaching out to people with AIDS and HIV awareness, so there is a lot of programmes that we do which is all about providing community service and giving back to people and having a larger than life purpose,’’ he stated.
The regional director of Regulatory and Medical Affairs for Africa, Middle East and Turkey operations of Reckitt Benckiser, Dr Soufia Hanna, in his overview of regulatory trends of medicines in Africa and the Middle East, called for the removal of complexities in regulation to the benefit of the consumers.
Other speakers at the conference were regulatory and medical affairs director, Reckitt Benckiser, Europe, Dr Aomesh Bhatt; a lecturer in pharmaceutical chemistry at UI, Dr. Yetunde Kolade, and United Kingdom (UK)-based hospital/community pharmacist, Mrs Olubukola Iyanda. They agreed that Africa must take a cue for accelerated development of medicines that are relevant to Africans.
The experts and delegates charged NAFDAC to increase the speed of product registration and also agreed that regulatory agencies, the academia and manufacturers must collaborate to promote better hygiene and health. They also suggested that messages being disseminated by healthcare product firms should be true while any form of falsified claims should be eliminated.
They further said that the eclectic approach to healthcare adopted by countries  such as China, India and Japan should be emulated. In their views, the approach could have accounted for the improved health among the citizens of these countries when compared with those of other nations. To this end, they urged students of medicine and pharmacy to be exposed more to wider knowledge obtainable elsewhere to boost local capacity. 
NAFDAC was also charged to address problems consumers face in getting information on products, address the menace of parallel import especially for products already listed and registered in Nigeria.
Among the dignitaries at the event were UI’s vice chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole; principal investigator and director of CDDDP, Prof. Chinedum Peace Babalola, dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, UI, Prof. O.A. Itiola; deputy director, Drug Evaluation and Research of NAFDAC, Mrs. Titilope Owolabi and NAFDAC deputy director, Advertisement Control, Mrs. Sinmidele Onabajo.

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