By Stanley Nwanosike
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Wednesday, charged stakeholders and Nigerians to lead vigilance against Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) on drugs and Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR).
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the charge at a one-day Pharmacovigilance workshop and stakeholders townhall meeting in Enugu.
Adeyeye, represented by NAFDAC’s Director, South-East Zone, Dr Festus Ukadike, said that the “gravest consequences of irrational medicine use today is AMR”.
She explained that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics had accelerated the emergence of resistant microorganisms that no longer respond to conventional treatment.
“This means that infections previously treatable with common antibiotics are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to manage.
“If urgent action is not taken, antimicrobial resistance may reverse decades of medical progress and place humanity at serious risk.
“This is why pharmacovigilance is extremely important.
“Pharmacovigilance refers to the science and activities relating to the detection, assessment, understanding, and prevention of adverse effects or any other medicine-related problems.
“In simple terms, pharmacovigilance helps us ensure that medicines remain safe and effective even after they have been approved and released into the market,” she said.
Adeyeye said that no medicine is completely free from side effects.
“However, through effective pharmacovigilance systems, healthcare professionals and patients can identify harmful reactions early, report them appropriately, and help regulatory authorities take necessary actions to protect the public,” she said.
She also said that pharmacovigilance remains a core mandate of the agency, adding that stakeholders and the public should play active part in monitoring AMR and ADR to ensure effectiveness of medicine and treatment.
The state Coordinator of WHO, Dr Adaeze Ugwu, said that the organisation would continue to support NAFDAC in the agency’s resolve to strengthen food and healthcare in the country.
Also, the Chairman, Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietory Medicine Dealers, Dr Oliver Ezemba, urged everybody to get concerned about the issues of AMR and ADR to guarantee quality medicines for everyone.
Ezemba called on Nigerians to imbibe the habit of reporting any irregularities observed while using a medicine to NAFDAC for proper investigation, “which would serve the benefit of many Nigerians using same medicine”.
The Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Igwe Samuel Asadu, commended NAFDAC for the workshop, and urged the agency to put more effort tiwards curbing the sale of fake medicines in the hinterlands.
Asadu said that pharmacovigilance was needed more in the hinterlands to stop people peddling fake medicines and “selling outright chalk as medicine in villages in the state”.
He gave the commitment of royal fathers in the state towards providing necessary support to NAFDAC to check peddlers of fake medicines “as we see our people die due to their activities”.
Some of the participants made observations and sought clarifications on grey areas and promised to report any suspectable AMR or ADR case through the NAFDAC’s Med Safety Mobile App.
Highlights of the event included a presentation on the “Need for Effective Pharmacovigilance by All”, delivered by two agency’s officials, Mr Chidi Uche and Mrs Ogechi Udeh. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)