The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has introduced a new mobile application, the Greenbook, to help Nigerians verify the authenticity of medical products and fight against counterfeit drugs.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known at the opening of a two-day sensitization workshop on the Greenbook, traceability project, and paediatric policy in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Adeyeye, represented by the Director of the Post-Marketing Surveillance Directorate, Fraden Bitrus, stated that the Greenbook serves as an online database for registered drug products in Nigeria. The platform allows users to verify a product’s authenticity by searching for its name, brand, or registration number.
Bitrus emphasized the need for stakeholder collaboration, highlighting that counterfeiters are becoming more sophisticated in their methods.
“The NAFDAC Greenbook is a critical tool for tracking and identifying fake drugs. If a product is listed in the Greenbook, it means it has been registered by NAFDAC and is safe for use,” he said on Wednesday.
He further revealed that Nigeria is the first country in Africa and the second in the world to deploy this technology in the fight against counterfeit drugs.
“The Greenbook app is available for download on the Apple Store and Google Play Store via greenbook.nafdac.gov.ng,” he disclosed.
However, he, clarified that very newly registered medicines might be immediately uploaded as the app will get updated from time to time.
“We are yet to add cosmetics on the site, for now, it’s just Drugs,” he said.
On her part, the Rivers State Commissioner for Health, Adaeze Oreh, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to working with NAFDAC to eliminate fake drugs.
Represented by Quanta Dappa, the Rivers State Coordinator for Drug and Substance Abuse Control, the Rivers State Ministry of Health, commended NAFDAC’s leadership in tackling the circulation of unsafe medicines.
“As a state, we have a task force dedicated to combating counterfeit drugs, and NAFDAC is a key partner in this effort,” she said.
Similarly, the NAFDAC Director for the South-South Zone, Oligbu Chukwuma, assured that strict measures were in place to ensure the effective implementation of anti-counterfeit strategies.
“The fight against counterfeit drugs is a priority,” Chukwuma said.
At the unveiling, the App was put to use illustratively, showing pharmacists and others in attendance how it functions.
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