The Director-General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said on Monday the agency has shut down six pharmaceutical firms for non-compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
Adeyeye disclosed this in a statement issued by NAFDAC Resident Media Consultant, Mr. Sayo Akintola, in Abuja.
She said NAFDAC action was in line with its zero-tolerance for circulation of substandard and falsified medicines in the country.
Adeyeye said: “The pharmaceutical companies were shut down following a nationwide surveillance of their manufacturing activities.
“These local manufacturers despite the appropriate notification failed to meet minimum Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards in line with extant requirements to assure the quality, safety, and efficacy of pharmaceutical products.”
The NAFDAC chief, who reiterated the agency’s determination to end the circulation of substandard and falsified medicines in Nigeria, said the firms’ unpatriotic activities were uncovered following a nationwide surveillance exercise.
She said the sanctions given to the manufacturers would serve as a deterrent to other firms that failed to comply with GMP requirements, adding that the defaulting companies would remain closed until they complied with the regulations.
According to her, a foreign manufacturer of Finished Pharmaceutical Products (FPPs) was recently blacklisted and their local representative delisted for gross violation of NAFDAC’s extant laws and regulations.
Adeyeye reaffirmed NAFDAC’s commitment to safeguarding public health and its relentless efforts at ensuring that only medicines that are safe, efficacious, and of good quality are available to Nigerians.
