EXCITING NEWS: TNG WhatsApp Channel is LIVE…
Subscribe for FREE to get LIVE NEWS UPDATE. Click here to subscribe!
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in collaboration with the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), has urged Nigerians to report any case of Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR).
The acting Director-General of NAFDAC, Yetunde Oni, made the call at a media interactive session on Tuesday in Abuja.
Oni, who was represented by Prof. Samson Adebayo, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics of NAFDAC, said that the aim of pharmacovigilance was to enhance patients’ care and safety in relation to the use of medicines.
According to her, Nigeria is a full member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) programme for International Drug Monitoring (IDM).
“Its obligation is to submit reports of adverse reactions associated with medicinal products, known as Individual Case Safety Reports (ICSRs).
”Nigeria, with a population of over 140 million people, is expected to generate about 28,000 ICSRs per year.
”Due to the inherent nature of medicines, no drug, no matter how skilfully produced to meet specified quality standards, properly distributed and stored, rationally prescribed and used, is 100 per cent safe,” she said.
Oni said that pharmacovigilance in Nigeria covers medicines, herbals, blood products, vaccines, biologicals, medical devices, chemicals and cosmetics: with the goal of reducing medicine induced morbidity and mortality.
Also, Dr Godwin Ntadom, the Director Case Management, NMEP, urged Nigerians to report ADR to NAFDAC or send text messages to 20543.
Ntadom explained that when the text messages were sent, follow up would commence immediately.
He said that the adverse reaction on Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy reported was immediately withdrawn and replaced.
In his remarks, Yohanna Avong, the Associate Director, Clinical Services, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, said that the institute would ensure the setting up of pharmacovigilance desks in hospitals to help stem cases of ADR.
Avong also said that the institute would ensure the proper utilisation of funds made available by partners.