Anti-counterfeiting technology working in Nigeria’s fight against fake drugs

Nigeria’s National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administrations and Control (NAFDAC) recently announced that its utilization of sophisticated anti-counterfeiting technologies has so far been effective in the fight against counterfeit drugs.

Director-General of NAFDAC Dr. Paul Orhii speaking through the Deputy Director Enforcement, Garba Macdonald, said that the agency had destroyed 450 million Nigerian naira worth of counterfeit drugs in Shagamu in Ogun State, according to Vanguard Online.

Orhii said the counterfeit drugs and products were seized from importers, manufacturers and distributors by various NAFDAC agents throughout the Southern region. The 450 million Nigerian naira figure also includes expired and damaged products that were voluntarily handed over to NAFDAC by companies.

Orhii also said while the methods used to counterfeit drugs may be becoming more sophisticated among criminals, the anti-counterfeiting technologies used by NAFDAC are effective in combating these unscrupulous individuals.

“To make work easier for the staff and track the criminals faster, we have acquired and deployed…a hand-held device at borders and within the country and also launched the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS), which uses text messaging technology in putting the power of detecting counterfeits on the hands of the public and also the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system for verification of regulated products and documents,” he said.

RFID anti-counterfeiting technology uses a small RFID tag placed in drug packaging that gives off a radio signal. This signal can be read by a hand-held device, often referred to as a reader, which picks up the tag’s signal, reads it and tells the consumer whether the drug is authentic or counterfeit. Orhii said that this technology also allows his agency to track drugs through the supply chain.

Further aiding Nigeria’s fight against counterfeit drugs is NAFDAC’s prompt and thorough registration of products entering the country, according to Orhii. This practice likely allows the agency to have a better grasp and understanding of all the products that flow into the country, making it easier to identify illicit items like counterfeit drugs.

In addition to the increased use of sophisticated anti-counterfeiting technology, Orhii said that Nigeria’s battle against counterfeit drugs has been aided by the cooperation of foreign governments. In September, NAFDAC formally announced that it partnered with China to stop fake drug trade.