The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has launched an upgraded version of its Med Safety App as part of efforts to improve the reporting of fake, substandard and unsafe medical products across the country.
The agency said in a statement issued by the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, that the digital platform is designed to enable healthcare professionals and members of the public to quickly, securely and conveniently report suspected substandard and falsified medical products, as well as adverse drug reactions.
NAFDAC disclosed that the launch of the improved application marks a major step in strengthening post-marketing surveillance and increasing public involvement in ensuring the safety, quality and effectiveness of medicines and other medical products in Nigeria.
According to the agency, substandard and falsified medicines continue to pose serious public health risks, contributing to treatment failure, prolonged illnesses, antimicrobial resistance, disability and preventable deaths.
The agency explained that the upgraded Med Safety App comes with several new features aimed at making reporting easier and more effective.
These include a more user-friendly interface, simplified reporting procedures, improved feedback channels, enhanced data management functions and the ability for users to upload photographs and other relevant product information to aid regulatory investigations.
NAFDAC noted that users can report medicines with altered expiry dates, suspicious packaging, missing or fake NAFDAC registration numbers, poor product quality, unexpected treatment failure and other indicators of possible falsification.
The platform also provides an avenue for reporting adverse drug reactions, including unexpected side effects and harmful responses linked to the use of medical products.
“Users can report suspicious medicines with altered expiry dates, questionable packaging, missing or fake NAFDAC registration numbers, poor product quality, unexpected treatment failure, or other signs of possible falsification,” the statement said.
The agency stated that information received through the application will assist in the early detection of unsafe products, support timely investigations and regulatory actions, strengthen medicine quality monitoring systems and help remove harmful products from circulation.
“Reports received through the App will support NAFDAC’s efforts to detect unsafe products early, facilitate timely investigations and regulatory interventions, strengthen national medicine quality surveillance systems, and remove harmful products from circulation,” the statement added.
NAFDAC further revealed that increased public participation since the introduction of the improved platform has already enhanced medicine safety monitoring and accelerated the identification of potential threats.
The agency called on healthcare professionals, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, patent and proprietary medicine vendors, community health workers, patients, caregivers and the general public to download and actively use the application.
The agency said the platform will help ensure that only safe, effective and quality-assured medical products remain available to the public.
