The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has finally obtained World Health Organisation (WHO) approval to produce vaccines locally, with the attainment of 868 recommendations.
Director General, NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, made the disclosure Wednesday to newsmen at a press conference in Abuja.
According to her: ”With this attainment of 868 recommendations, we (NAFDAC) can manufacture our own vaccines”.
Prof. Adeyeye further disclosed that this major feat made Nigeria the third African country and few globally to attain this status of Majority Level Three.
The NAFDAC boss said that the process of local vaccine production has started with the construction of a vaccine laboratory in Oshodi, Lagos.
She however appreciated the huge support of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration to the attainment of the feat, saying it wouldn’t have been possible without such tremendous support backing.
Prof. Adeyeye also recognised the major role played by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) in securing the new status of the agency, as it rightly stood in a prime position in ensuring the licensing of pharmaceutical companies before they can start operating.
She further lauded the great efforts of PCN in the downstream functions in checking for substandard drugs, saying without NAFDAC and PCN, Nigeria would be filled with substandard and falsified medicines.
Narrating the journey so far, she said the agency has earlier been told sometime in 2018 that it needed to meet up with 868 recommendations before it can get to maturity level three, and the agency immediately step-up work on the process.
“WHO Global benchmarking is all about comparing regulatory agencies that work to carry out tasks pertaining to the best health regulatory agency in the world, it is not about comparing ourselves with ourselves but with the best.
“And, they told us that we need to meet up with 868 recommendations before we can get to maturity level three, it sounded impossible but my directors stood by me all the way,” she said.
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