INSIGHT: How effective is NAFDAC’s clampdown on fake drug markets?

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in recent weeks, launched a crackdown on the fake drug market in Nigeria.

The agency embarked on a sweeping enforcement operation across the country’s three major open drug markets in Onitsha, Anambra state; Aba, Abia state; and Lagos.

The operations were executed in Ariaria and Eziukwu Markets (Aba), Bridge Head Market (Onitsha), and Idumota Drug Market (Lagos).

In the Idumota open drug market, NAFDAC officials uncovered banned, unregistered, and expired products and narcotic, and controlled substances.

Counterfeit GSK medicines and vaccines were also found where they were stored in toilets. Over 3,000 shops have been screened and placed on hold.

At the Ariaria International Market in Aba, Abia state, the agency uncovered and seized “huge” quantities of unregistered and banned medicines.

In the same vein, NAFDAC shut down the Onitsha Bridgehead Drug Market due to alleged trading in illegal drugs.

Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC director-general, said over N1 trillion worth of drugs were seized in the exercise, adding that the figure may be an understatement.

She said the crackdown is part of NAFDAC’s National Action Plan (NAP 2.0) 2023-2027 aimed at eliminating counterfeit medicines, improving regulatory compliance, and safeguarding public health.

HOW IMPACTFUL WILL THE CRACKDOWN BE?

Nonso Odili, pharmacist and founder of Intellipharm Inc., told TheCable that he does not believe NAFDAC’s crackdown will be effective in the long run.

He said the agency’s recent operations are just a “wash and repeat” strategy that will not succeed in keeping the open drug markets at bay.

He said the agency has repeatedly used the strategy over the years, and it has now become like a “PR strategy” to make the news.

Odili said over the next few weeks, the raids would affect the supply chain because a good number of pharmacies patronise open drug markets to get drugs as cheap as possible to maximise profits at the expense of quality.

“For the time being, they will most likely reach out to more coordinated wholesalers to get their medication. But that’s just for the time being. Before you know it, the drug markets are open again, and it’s the same cycle over and over,” he said.

“If NAFDAC closes your shop, it’s not like you can’t open it again. You can be fined a necessary penalty and told to make sure you’re compliant, and that’s it. They open up shop again and are back to doing the same thing.

“This was a strategy Dora Akunyili initiated during her time, and during her time, it was very effective because it was pretty much new at the time. But this is 2025; that strategy is completely outdated.”

WHAT ARE THE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE CRACKDOWN?

Charles Sanni, an economist and chief executive of Cowry Treasurer Limited, however, believes that the crackdown would have positive impacts on the economy.

He said Nigeria will begin to see growth in the pharmaceutical industry with stocks of the pharmaceutical companies moving upwards in the capital market and sales volume increasing.

He added there would also be a growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) resulting from the contribution of the health sector itself, more employment, and a better standard of living for the people.

“As the sales volume increases, the income will increase. Then as the income increases, the contribution to the GDP increases. As the contribution to the GDP increases, the share price of those companies and shareholders increases. They have more dividends, and then they will expand,” he said.

“Then they’re also able to raise capital at a lower cost. As they raise capital also, more jobs are created due to the expansion.”

HOW CAN NAFDAC ENSURE THESE MARKETS DO NOT REGENERATE?

Odili recalled that two years ago, he was part of a stakeholder meeting where he suggested a strategy from the microbiological concept of controlling the meal source of microorganisms to limit their growth, as opposed to killing them.

‘If you kill microorganisms, they will only mutate and look for better ways to survive,” he explained.

Odili said in the same manner, when dealing with open drug markets, the focus should be on regular pharmacies, who are actually the ones who facilitate them.

“If normal pharmacists don’t go there to buy, open drug markets won’t exist. So they’re regulating the wrong people. They’re not supposed to go after open drug markets but after their meal source — the pharmacies,” he said.

“If you hold them compliant, there is no way you wouldn’t solve the open drug market problem.”

On his part, Sanni suggested that in order to encourage investment in the pharmaceutical industry and discourage the resurgence of the fake medicine markets, the government can introduce some form of subsidy or long-term capital for the pharmaceutical companies.

“The government can also give them some form of tax relief in terms of taxes that they take from them,” he said.