Canvasses digital traceability, stronger supply-chain systems
A prominent Nigerian pharmacist and business development expert, Pharm. Remi Adeseun, has cautioned against relying mainly on raids and arrests to combat substandard and falsified medicines, urging regulators and pharmaceutical distributors to prioritise digital traceability, stronger supply-chain systems and coordinated action.
Adeseun, a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), gave the advice while delivering the keynote address at the fourth Thematic General Assembly of the African Pharmaceutical Distributors Association (APDA), hosted by the Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (PWDAN) at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Speaking on the theme, “Advancing Pharmaceutical Distribution in Africa: Building Secure Supply Chains Against Falsified Medicines,” he said the fight against falsified medicines must address weaknesses in the systems through which medicines are manufactured, transported, stored and distributed, rather than depend mainly on law enforcement.
“If we treat falsified medicines mainly as a law enforcement problem, we will always arrive late to the problem,” he said, advocating an approach that combines regulatory oversight, technology, commercial responsibility and enforcement.
Adeseun explained that medicine quality depends not only on the product’s condition at the point of manufacture but also on how it is transported and stored. Citing oxytocin as an example, he referred to a study which, according to him, found that close to 60 per cent of the drug in the market had been denatured, warning that ineffective medicines could have devastating consequences for women requiring the drug during labour.
He identified the inability to establish the origin and movement of medicines as a major supply-chain vulnerability. Recalling efforts to curb benzodiazepine abuse, he said requiring community pharmacies to demonstrate the source of their products helps expose weaknesses in the distribution chain and trace supplies to wholesalers and manufacturers.
He added that shortages of legitimate medicines could encourage the circulation of falsified products, as patients and buyers might turn to questionable sources when registered pharmacies could not meet their needs.
The pharmacist therefore urged wholesalers and distributors to distinguish themselves from ordinary traders by investing in reliable distribution systems, maintaining professional standards and ensuring that customers could obtain legitimate medicines efficiently.
He called for closer integration between the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria’s proposed national electronic pharmacy platform and the traceability systems being implemented by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), warning that independently developed platforms could duplicate resources and undermine efficiency.
Adeseun also urged distributors to prepare for NAFDAC’s traceability requirements, noting that implementation for controlled substances is scheduled to become mandatory in January 2027, with expansion to other product categories expected by 2029.
He said digital traceability would help legitimate distributors distinguish themselves from unscrupulous operators, but cautioned that technology alone cannot secure the supply chain. Effective systems, he explained, requires reliable product identification, trusted digital identities, transaction records and interoperable data to track medicines throughout their journey.
He further warned against deploying artificial intelligence and sophisticated applications without reliable underlying data.
“Let’s not automate confusion, and let’s not start by building a roof first; let’s get the data practices strong from the beginning,” he said, noting that artificial intelligence could support demand forecasting but could not compensate for transactions that had never been recorded or replace professional accountability.
Adeseun advocated responsible data sharing among distributors, manufacturers and other stakeholders, saying properly analysed information could help identify shortages, improve forecasting and guide production towards unmet therapeutic needs.
He also urged distributors to support local pharmaceutical manufacturing and diversify their supply sources to improve resilience against international disruptions caused by conflicts and other emergencies. He called for collaboration across West Africa and the wider continent to build more dependable medicine supply networks.
On professional accountability, he urged distributors to verify their customers, ensure authorised procurement, comply with good distribution practices and avoid supplying outlets whose legitimacy they could not establish.
The keynote speaker challenged PWDAN and APDA to assess members’ digital readiness, identify operational gaps and develop measurable standards for distribution excellence. He said a recognised quality standard could distinguish professional distributors from ordinary traders, strengthen regulatory confidence and open opportunities for technical and financial support.
He further advised pharmaceutical businesses to prepare for cybersecurity risks arising from digitalisation, including putting appropriate insurance and recovery arrangements in place. He urged the associations to promote connected systems that could work with hospital records and public-sector distribution networks rather than create more isolated platforms.
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