In an effort to enhance the reporting of counterfeit, substandard, or otherwise dangerous medical products nationwide, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has released an updated version of its Med Safety App.
Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NAFDAC, released a statement stating that the agency’s new digital platform would allow the public and healthcare providers to report suspected substandard or falsified medical products and adverse drug reactions in a safe, easy, and fast manner.
The National Agency for Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced that the new and improved application is a huge step in enhancing post-marketing surveillance and getting more people involved in making sure that medical products in Nigeria are safe, effective, and of high quality.
The organization states that there are significant public health risks associated with inferior and counterfeit drugs. These include treatment failure, protracted illness duration, antibiotic resistance, disability, and avoidable deaths.
According to the organization, the new and improved Med Safety App has various features that will make reporting much easier and more effective.
The ability to upload photos and other pertinent product information to assist regulatory investigations, a more intuitive interface, streamlined reporting processes, better feedback channels, and improved data management features are all part of the package.
According to NAFDAC, consumers have the option to report medications that appear to have been falsified in a number of ways, including altered expiration dates, questionable packaging, missing or fraudulent NAFDAC registration numbers, low product quality, and unexpected treatment failure.
Unexpected side effects and hazardous responses associated with medical product use can also be reported through the site.
“Problems with product quality, unexpected treatment failure, altered expiration dates, questionable packaging, missing or fake NAFDAC registration numbers, or other signs of possible falsification” might be reported by users, according to the statement.
The application’s data will aid in the early identification of dangerous products, prompt investigations and regulatory measures, improve medicine quality monitoring systems, and aid in the removal of dangerous products from circulation, according to the agency.
“The information gathered through the app will help NAFDAC in its mission to identify dangerous products at an early stage, assist with prompt investigations and regulatory actions, enhance national medicine quality monitoring systems, and eliminate dangerous products from the market,” the statement continued.
Increased public participation since the revised platform’s implementation has already improved pharmaceutical safety monitoring and sped the detection of possible dangers, according to NAFDAC.
Healthcare providers, chemists, doctors, nurses, community health workers, patients, carers, and members of the general public were all encouraged by the agency to download and utilise the app.
Medical products should only be provided to the public if they are safe, effective, and have been quality-assured, according to the agency.