Nigeria is capable of producing pharmaceutical products that meet international standard, World Health Organization, WHO, has said.
Regional Director, WHO for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti stated this recently at 66th Session of WHO African Regional Committee Meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia recently.
According to a release made available to National Mirror by Director, Media and Public Relations in the Federal Ministry of Health, Mrs Boade Akinola, the WHO chief said the organization was working with some manufacturing companies in the country to provide guidance on meeting the requirements of WHO prequalification for pharmaceutical companies in the country.
According to Dr. Moeti, “WHO has established a monitoring system at the global level to assist member WHO states in this regard in line with the concern of WHO that citizens should have access to quality and affordable medical products.
Moeti submission was in response to request by the Nigerian government which called for continued support of the global health institution and other partners in achieving the prequalification status of more pharmaceutical manufacturing companies in the country to enable them take part in the global procurement process.
Acting Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Mrs Yetunde Oni, who made the call on behalf of government also solicited the support of WHO in strengthening the Pharmacovigilance and Post Market Surveillances Systems as a step towards fighting substandard, spurious, falsely-labelled, falsified counterfeit (SSFFC) medical products in a bid to making quality, safe, efficacious and affordable medical products accessible to the people