By Kemi Olatunde

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There has been a renewed call for the implementation of a presidential executive order aimed at boosting local production of healthcare products, lowering the cost of healthcare equipment and consumables and curbing the prevalence of fake and counterfeit drugs in Nigeria.

The executive order stipulates that raw materials for manufacturing pharmaceutical products (Annex I) will be exempt from import duties and Value Added Tax (VAT) for a period of two years, starting from March 5, 2025.

Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the Ministry of Health, Pharm. Olugbenga Lasekan, disclosed this development  while speaking with Weekend Hope in Akure.

Lamenting the rampant circulation of fake drugs in the country, Lasekan stated that Nigeria’s economic environment has inadvertently encouraged the production of counterfeit drugs.

He emphasised that the removal of import duties on pharmaceuticals would play a significant role in mitigating this growing menace.

He said: “The state is working to enhance efforts in identifying fake and counterfeit drugs, drawing attention to the purchase of the Truscan machine, which will be used to detect the authenticity of pharmaceutical products.”

Pharm. Babalola Taiwo, the state Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), also spoke out about the dangers of fake drugs.

He explained that such drugs, which bypass the regulatory checks of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), pose a significant health risk to Nigerians.

Taiwo said: “Fake drugs are intentionally produced to resemble original medicines, but lack the full active ingredients required for treatment. Some may contain only glucose or starch, failing to produce the expected therapeutic effects.”

He expressed grave concern over the high incidence of fake drugs in the country, stressing that these substandard products contribute to treatment failures, thereby eroding trust in healthcare professionals such as physicians and pharmacists.

He linked the proliferation of counterfeit drugs to the porous nature of Nigeria’s borders and urged for the political will to combat drug abuse in the country.

He called for stronger measures to empower the state’s task force on counterfeit drugs, recommending that it recruit sufficient personnel to oversee the operation of medicine stores at health facilities across the state.

Taiwo also called on the government to provide incentives for pharmacists, to motivate them in the fight against the fake drug menace and to ensure a more efficient regulatory system for the pharmaceutical industry.