NAFDAC begins nationwide enforcement for mobile authentication service

National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and
Control, NAFDAC, has commenced enforcement of the
deadline for implementation of the Mobile Authentication
Service, MAS by pharmaceutical companies nationwide.
The enforcement operation which started last week in Abuja
under the auspices of the Pharmacovigilance and Post
Marketing Surveillance Directorate of NAFDAC was geared
towards mopping up from circulation all anti-malarial and
anti-biotic medicines that do not carry on their labels, the
MAS scratch and text authentication codes introduced in
2010 by the Agency to save consumers from the menace of
fake drugs.
Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii who is currently
celebrated worldwide for introducing multi-layered anti-
counterfeiting technology has vowed that there was no
going back on enforcement of compliance with the MAS
deadline which has previously been shifted twice in the last
three years due to plea for more time by segment of the
pharmaceutical industry.
Orhii said NAFDAC has the full support of the President and
Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu
to enforce implementation of the service in a bid to
eradicate counterfeit drugs in the country.
He disclosed that firm instruction has been given to all
NAFDAC offices across the country to go round various
pharmaceutical outlets to enforce compliance as deadline is
irreversible and sacrosanct.
"The scratch and text service (MAS) has put the power of
detecting counterfeit drugs in the hands of over 100 million
mobile phone users in the country," he added.
Orhii stated that the international community is full of
commendation for Nigeria for pioneering the use of cutting-
edge technologies in combating counterfeit medicines.