The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged members of the public to report adverse reactions of drugs on their health using the Med Safety App.

Director of NAFDAC, North Central Zone, Kenneth Azikwe, made the call during an engagement with stakeholders in Minna on Monday.

He said by reporting adverse reactions, stakeholders would be helping NAFDAC to identify and remove harmful products from the market, thereby protecting public health.

He stated, “Don’t keep quiet when you take a drug and you get a negative reaction in your body; report such products using your phone through the app. Once you complain, we have officers watching the app and an investigation will be launched immediately to withdraw the drug if it is not good.’’

Mr Azikwe said the agency had always emphasised pharmacovigilance to ensure the safety of consumers and promote the responsible use of pharmaceutical products.

He noted that the agency believed in feedback, hence stakeholders’ engagement to enhance regulatory activities and improve services rendered to the public.

He called on the stakeholders to embrace the NAFDAC Automated Product and Monitoring System (NAPMS), which enabled products registration online without physical presence

According to him, NAFDAC as a regulatory authority has grown with the signs of time, urging companies to use NAPMAS to register their products, as it is easier and cheaper.

The director also encouraged stakeholders to participate in the Micro Small Medium Enterprises Registration Scheme, which allowed the registration of low-risk food products using minimal facilities to guarantee the safety of the products.

He appealed to stakeholders to embrace the Green Book, a database of registered products.

He encouraged stakeholders to download the app onto their phones, which could be used to search the name of a drug to know if such a drug was registered or not.

He appealed to stakeholders to come forward as a group or association, particularly in the agrochemical and chemical sectors, to obtain the necessary licences and certifications to enable the agency to control what people were doing with chemicals.

The state coordinator of NAFDAC in Niger State, James Kigbu, said the stakeholders’ engagement was crucial for fostering open dialogue and collaboration to ensure regulatory compliance, safety and responsible business practices.

“Your feedback today will help us in decision-making, improve processes and help us to manage your expectations,” he said.

Stakeholders at the engagement included the Agro Chemical Association, Industrial Pharmacy of Nigeria and Supermarket Owners Association.

Others were the Nigeria Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Islamic Medicine and Prophetic Medicine Association, and the National Association of Environmental Health Officers of Nigeria. 

(NAN)