From counterfeit drugs to counterfeit drinks

THERE is widespread concern about cases of counterfeit and substandard drugs in Nigeria. In most instances, the victims of counterfeiting are persons who either cannot identify fake medical products or those who seek cheaper alternatives to pricey genuine products. Recently, the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) uncovered a large-scale counterfeit alcoholic beverage operation at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex. Its officials seized products valued at more than ₦2 billion.

After the surreptitious raid, the agency said its Investigation and Enforcement Directorate embarked on the operation following credible intelligence which revealed more than 20 illegal shops allegedly used for counterfeiting and other unlawful activities. According to NAFDAC, its operatives found suspects engaged in blending and counterfeiting popular alcoholic beverage brands. They were also revalidating already expired and unsafe beverages for resale, as well as stockpiling banned imported products. “Two suspects were apprehended, and products seized and evacuated are valued at over ₦2 billion,” said NAFDAC. It added that its operatives uncovered illegal shops allegedly used for counterfeiting alcoholic beverages at the Trade Fair Complex. Warning members of the public to be vigilant and report suspicious manufacturing, revalidation, or sales of regulated products to the agency, its officers promptly took the arrested culprits to face the wrath of the law.

The scourge of drug counterfeiting has reached an unbearable level in Nigeria today. Fake drugs or substandard medical products refer to counterfeit medications produced below standard quality or those sold as substitutes for genuine and effective pharmaceutical products. In the words of the World Health Organisation (WHO), fake drugs and medical products are generally packaged by persons who are unskilled and unauthorised. They do this in unregulated facilities with the intention of supplying these fake products to low-income countries troubled by weak drug regulatory systems. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime recently revealed damning statistics about the menace. According to it, 500,000 consumers of counterfeit drugs in sub-Saharan Africa die annually from their consumption. It also revealed that 267,000 deaths result each year from substandard malaria drugs, while about 169,000 children die yearly from fake antibiotics administered to treat pneumonia. The same statistics show that between $12 million and $44.7 million is spent yearly on the treatment of persons who fall victim to counterfeit and substandard malaria drugs.

Nigeria has suffered tremendously from this scourge. Medical experts and analysts have expressed concern about its effect on the health of Nigerians. According to them, counterfeit medications have led to an increase in deaths from malaria, hypertension, stroke, asthma, cholera, and other illnesses prevalent in the country. Most troubling is the report from medical workers who revealed that after consuming counterfeit antibiotics and supplements, patients struggle to respond to genuine drugs administered as a remedy. More importantly, counterfeit drinks are reported to be catalysts for the prevalence of liver and kidney diseases that dot the Nigerian landscape today. That is why NAFDAC and other authorities entrusted with apprehending these criminals must continue to undertake a brutal crackdown on the perpetrators. Counterfeiters of drugs and other medical products are callous killers who must be treated as such. In the example of the raid conducted by NAFDAC which yielded the arrests highlighted above, the culprits were reported to be cloning popular brands, thereby putting people’s lives on the line. The situation in Nigeria is so pathetic that nothing seems genuine nowadays, as there is hardly anything counterfeiters cannot duplicate. Even food items like ground pepper, egusi, and yam are said to have fallen under the menacing scalpel of these evil people.

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But what is responsible for this orgy of counterfeiting? Is it greed or hunger? It is hard to put a particular tag on the trade in counterfeit materials, especially medical products. The trade has existed for a long time. For instance, people are reported to mix cassava peel with elubo (yam flour) to save costs and maximise profit, but this did not start today. There is no doubt that those in the counterfeiting trade are heartless criminals who must not be allowed to live among responsible, decent Nigerians. This is where the authorities must demonstrate fidelity to the Nigerian people. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and others must redouble their efforts to ensure that culprits have their day in court. Overall, the quality control of drugs and other commodities consumed by Nigerians must be guaranteed. It is so bad today that there is a joke that finding a genuine product is like passing through the eye of a needle.

Not too long ago, two pharmaceutical giants, determined to end the menace of fake drugs, made legitimate medical products even more scarce and expensive. The plan was to take them out of the reach of counterfeiters. Also, producers of medical products like inhalers quadrupled their prices, all with the same goal of outsmarting the counterfeiters. Unfortunately, this is happening in a Nigeria where medical statistics say about 10 million Nigerians are victims of the disease. Ultimately, bringing the criminals who fake drugs, medical products, and other items to justice is the responsibility of every Nigerian. However hard they try, NAFDAC and ancillary agencies cannot curtail or eradicate the menace alone. It must be a collective exercise.