— The drug industry has changed since Akunyili's passing, despite the fact that NAFDAC's enabling law states that it must regulate and control the import, export
Medication is used by people all over the world to treat life-threatening illnesses, prevent pregnancy, and manage chronic illnesses.
Unknowingly, however, people use counterfeit medications on a daily basis—even in developed nations with well-functioning healthcare systems.
They risk their life for something they ought to be able to rely on. The pharmaceutical business and international drug regulators are always trying to remove counterfeit and subpar medications off the market.
Key Things About Fake Drugs
Fake drugs are produced and packaged to resemble authentic name-brand medications, but the active components mentioned on the label are frequently absent or very little present. Patients who are gullible could be seriously at danger from fake medications that are part of the illegal supply chain.
- Sometimes the active elements in these phony medications are missing, so they just don’t offer the necessary therapeutic value. In the worst situation, some might include hazardous materials.
- Subpar and counterfeit medications may contain harmful amounts of hazardous components and result in widespread poisoning.
- Ineffective medications jeopardize the management of infectious and chronic illnesses, leading to drug resistance, disease progression, and even death.
Reliable medications will be required in low- and middle-income nations as the prevalence of chronic diseases rises.
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Drug resistance is fostered by subpar and counterfeit medications, endangering public health both now and in the future.
Real antibiotics and antivirals can be found in certain counterfeit medications, although usually in considerably smaller doses than what is stated on the label. It is insufficient to completely cure the illness, and it may allow germs to evolve and proliferate, exacerbating the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant illnesses to public health.
Additionally, medications that appear wherever they shouldn’t be in fake pills may contain them, which increases the risk of overdose and death.
How To Avoid Fake Drugs
Some of the recommended ways to avoid fake drugs include:
- See your doctor or pharmacist if there are any changes in the size, shape, texture, color, or taste of the pills you took previously. Additionally, look over the packaging for the medication.
- Don’t utilize any medication that you believe you may have obtained in error. Return the medication to the pharmacist who provided it to you, or get in touch with the maker or your doctor.
- Be cautious while purchasing medications online.
Dora Akunyili And Her Legacy in The Nigerian Drug Industry
From 2001 to 2009, Dora Akunyili served as the nation’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) director-general.
She oversaw high-profile campaigns against ineffective medications in the Nigerian market throughout her term, garnering praise from all around the world and multiple awards in the process.
However, even though Akunyili and other activists generated a lot of momentum and attention over counterfeit and inferior medications, the issue posed a serious threat to Nigeria and most of the developing globe.
The achievements of Akunyili at NAFDAC contradicted the reputation of Nigeria for corruption and poor administration. Her counterparts were a former central banker here and an anti-corruption officer there, but she was a Nigerian public servant with an international reputation for integrity.
Even though Dora Akunyili served in the federal government cabinet and launched a bid to be elected a senator, she became a more politicized figure in her final years, and many Nigerians were deeply saddened to learn of her passing.
The drug industry has changed since Akunyili’s passing, despite the fact that NAFDAC’s enabling law states that it must regulate and control the import, export, manufacture, advertisement, distribution, sale, and use of food, medications, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled water, chemicals, and detergents (Regulated Products).
Edozie Akunyili, the son of late Akunyili, bemoaned his mother’s sacrifices for Nigeria in a now-viral tweet, questioning if they were worthwhile.
Edozie, who said that his mother’s death was pointless, described how the late professor of pharmacology put off taking care of her own health until it became worse because she was so preoccupied with her profession at NAFDAC.
In response to outcry about the increasing ubiquity of fake goods in Nigerian marketplaces and retail establishments, Edozie made this revelation on Tuesday while responding to conversations on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
An X user, Imohunoren, had written, “Since Dora Akunyili left us alone in this evil world, we’ve been eating and drinking fake products . That woman looked out for us for real. Top 5 Nigerian to ever exist.”
Responding, another user, kelvin_ig, said, “I can never forget when her house and office in Lagos was burned down on the same day. Obasanjo asked if she wanted to resign. She said Obj should dead that talk and reinforce her security. Obj did, and she carried on. She’s wild.”
Also, X user Morris_Monye added, “Till date, no justice for her family over her attempted murder and her family.
“Her husband was killed. No Justice till now.
“She gave absolutely all for Nigeria. Yet the land has a way of taking her own.
“This is why I choose battles carefully. If you lose your life, Nigeria moves on.”
Responding to the tweets, the late Prof. Akunyili’s son Edozie wrote: “Exactly. Nobody has sacrificed more for Nigeria than our family and yet we constantly ask ourselves if it was worth it?
“We would give anything to have our parents with us but Naija moves on with corruption and impunity from the top down seen as normalcy.
“Sadly, she died because she was so engrossed in her work for NAFDAC that she delayed her fibroid hysterectomy for years, which later was found to be cancerous.
“When I see all the lies, corruption and dirty politics, it pains me that we lost our mother for nothing! Was it worth it?”
