The National Agency for Foods, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said every registered pharmacy that operates on the agency's standard has an RX sign.
Torizone reports that the RX is "recipe" a Latin word which means "take"; essentially signifying that a medication needs to be dispensed based on a doctor's instructions.
The Director General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this on Sunday, in an interview with Channels TV.
Professor Adeyeye advised Nigerians to only patronize registered pharmacies for safety. She disclosed that most of the counterfeit drugs were usually anti-malaria drugs, antibiotics, and children's medicines.
"Anti-malarials, antibiotics, and children's medicines. That is also part of the reason why we have declared this year Maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition year. Anti-malarials, antibiotics, and oxytocin-like medicines for women.
"First, you go to a pharmacy that is reputable, that has the sign, the RX sign on their front door. You don't go to a corner drugstore because it may be cheaper, but it may not be good. So you go to a pharmacy where you can get receipts. Ask for receipts. If it doesn't work, report to NAFDAC, and we have gotten intelligence through that.
"Report to NAFDAC with the receipts, we will track where it was bought. From where it was bought, we will track from where it was distributed. So it is making sure that our people are well-versed in terms of what to do and how to discriminate bad outlets," she said.
The NAFDAC Director General further dismissed claims that Nigeria has 70% substandard drugs prevalence. She explained that the report was particularly for Oxytocin, noting that the storage condition of the drug was responsible for much of its substandard case.
"Yes, the 70% prevalence is not right. It is not accurate. Some people are misusing what we found out about oxytocin. This predated me. This was before I joined NAFDAC. Oxytocin is medicine that is used to ensure that when a woman is for induction of labor, to make sure that the woman will deliver safely.
"We found out, NAFDAC found out at that time, that 70% of oxytocin, not all drugs, 70% were substandard. And why so? Because oxytocin is susceptible to temperature, to humidity. The storage condition was not optimal.
"Therefore, NAFDAC started training healthcare givers on how to store oxytocin, to maintain cold chain. So it is oxytocin, it is not all drugs. People have used that 70% so carelessly," she stated.
Comments