PWDAN Renews Call for Full NDDG Rollout to Curb Fake Medicines

…As Nigeria Marks 2025 Fight the Fakes Week

The Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (PWDAN) has renewed its call on the Federal Government to fully implement the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG) as Nigeria joined the global community to commemorate the 2025 Fight the Fakes Week, an international campaign against falsified and substandard medicines.

The call was made at a press conference held at the indoor hall of New Height Pharmaceuticals Limited, where the PWDAN Chairman and Managing Director of NHP, Pharm. Ogeneochuko Omaruaye, described the proliferation of fake medicines as a national emergency that continues to threaten public health, weaken the healthcare system, and undermine confidence in medical treatment.

Omaruaye noted that falsified and substandard medicines thrive in unregulated and poorly structured distribution systems, stressing that as long as Nigeria’s drug supply chain remains porous, the country will continue to face treatment failures, antimicrobial resistance, and avoidable deaths.

He said PWDAN, founded in 2018, was established to bring order, professionalism, and integrity into pharmaceutical wholesaling and distribution, adding that the association is committed to supporting regulators in sanitising the sector.

He explained that while PWDAN has explored technology over the past two years to ensure medicines are purchased only from regulated sources, a truly effective solution requires a nationally coordinated system driven by government.

According to the PWDAN boss, the association plans to deploy a members-focused technology platform in 2026, but emphasised that only the full deployment of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control’s (NAFDAC) track-and-trace initiative can provide an end-to-end solution. He commended NAFDAC for the initiative and urged industry players to adopt it fully.

On drug pricing, Omaruaye clarified that wholesalers do not determine medicine costs, explaining that manufacturers and importers largely influence pricing through production and importation costs. He added that wholesaler margins range between 5 and 7.5 per cent, covering warehousing and logistics, while expressing optimism that prices would stabilise as local manufacturing increases.

While speaking, the PWDAN Secretary, Pharm. Olaide Soetan, disclosed that the association’s members currently control only 10 to 20 per cent of medicines in circulation in Nigeria, while the remaining 80 per cent is handled by individuals who are neither licensed nor trained to handle pharmaceuticals.

She said this major imbalance fuels the influx of falsified and substandard medicines, stressing that meaningful progress can only be achieved when the distribution system is fully regulated from end to end.

Speaking on the NDDG, the National Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Pharm. Gafar Madehin, identified the guidelines as the country’s most sustainable solution to the fake drug crisis. He said the guidelines, developed to address the chaotic nature of drug distribution, have been gradually implemented due to policy and environmental challenges, and urged all stakeholders to recommit to their full enforcement.

The PSN Scribe also addressed branded and generic medicines issue, saying that generic medicines are not substandard once they meet regulatory requirements. “Branded medicines are often more expensive due to research and innovation costs, while generics are cheaper because such costs are absent. However, both branded and generic medicines can be falsified if sourced outside regulated supply chains, prompting a call for Nigerians to purchase medicines only from registered pharmacies.

Lending her voice, Pharm. Rosemary Nikoro, urged greater public vigilance when buying medicines, noting that fake drugs thrive on ignorance and desperation. Pharm. Olufunke Awopegba of Funket Nigeria Limited emphasised the need for sustained community-level public education to complement regulatory efforts.

Fight the Fakes Week is a global advocacy campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of falsified and substandard medical products. Global health estimates indicate that a significant proportion of medicines in low- and middle-income countries are fake or substandard, contributing to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths annually.

PWDAN reaffirmed its commitment to working with NAFDAC, the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Health, and other stakeholders to secure Nigeria’s pharmaceutical supply chain and ensure that every Nigerian has access to safe, effective, and quality-assured medicines.