Nigeria’s House of Representatives Order Survey On Fake Anti-Malaria Drugs

The House of Representatives has ordered the HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control committee to carry out a survey on fake anti-malaria drugs across Nigeria. The panel has to submit its report within four weeks.

The resolution was passed Thursday after a bill, titled "Motion on the Urgent Need to Conduct a National Baseline Survey on Fake anti-malaria Medicines in Nigeria," was presented before the House by Billy Osawaru and Osonwa Ibe, representatives from Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode and Arochukwu/Ohafia federal constituencies in Edo and Abia respectively.

Speaking about the significance of the resolution, Osawaru explained how the use of fake drugs could lead to complications and even death.

"In June 2018, NAFDAC [National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control] was informed of the circulation of some fake varieties of anti-malaria drugs imported fraudulently from India," he said, Ripples Nigeria reported. "The use of these fake drugs is crucial and brings complications in treatment and eventually increases the risk of death."

He noted that "counterfeiting of drugs was almost ignored or at least largely underestimated" in the country but it is one of the major causes of health problems.

NAFDAC has made crucial efforts to fight illicit drug trafficking, but "much more needs to be done," Osawaru said.

"The baseline survey is an important activity that must be urgently done in order to determine the before and after situations of the project 'fight against low-quality anti-malaria medicines in Nigeria,'" the congressman noted.

The survey's aim is to provide useful information to help the administration fight against fake drugs.

"The survey will provide the 'fight' with useful information that will be used to determine the methodology to be adopted to reduce the number of deaths from the use of fake malaria drugs in Nigeria," Osawaru added.

Last week, Nigeria's House of Representatives urged the federal government to subsidize malaria drugs at all government-owned health centers. The lower house of parliament also asked the government to declare a state of emergency, considering the increasing number of malaria cases in Nigeria.

Earlier this year, Nigeria became the second country in the world to approve Oxford University's R21 malaria vaccine after Ghana.