New Telegraph

Drug importers, NAFDAC bicker over $10,000 inspection fee

Following the negative impact of COVID-19 on manufacturing and small businesses, drugs manufacturers under the auspices of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Pharmaceutical Allied Sub-sector have flayed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Council (NAFDAC) for continued collection of $10,000 for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) on facility inspection in the diaspora.

 

The drug manufacturers believed that since COVID-19 has had grave impact on businesses, NAFDAC should have either abolished or given waiver for drug manufacturers/ importers planning to import goods rather than NAFDAC’s insistence on its officers going to inspect the foreign factory facility before goods are shipped.

 

However, the management of NAFDAC defended the $10,000 payment, saying that statutorily, government needs to inspect consignment meant for Nigerian market from the manifest state of origin in order to protect the country from further counterfeits and sub-standard goods importation

 

The Chairman of the LCCI, Pharmaceutical Allied Sub-sector, Dr. Kunle Megbuwawon, in an interview with New Telegraph in Lagos, explained that NAFDAC should be commended for its war on counterfeits goods in the country but that one critical aspect the agency has failed in its regulatory functions is its insistence that manufacturers/SMEs should continue to pay $10,000 charges for GMP for foreign factory facility inspection.

 

Megbuwawon, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MeCure Limited, lamented that paying such huge amount for GMP to NAFDAC just for its two officers to inspect goods abroad meant for the Nigerian market at the foreign factory facility was too expensive, absurd and not acceptable for small businesses at this challenging period

 

. In fact, the MeCure CEO pointed out that NAFDAC’s management was only collecting the $10,000 charges for GMP without any of its officers embarking on the foreign factory facility inspection amid COVID-19, saying it was time to relax it or waiver introduced. In addition, he insisted that the $10,000 fee should be borne by the agency solely since it was meant for its two officers going for the inspection tour. He said: “I must commend that most of us respect NAFDAC so much, especially on the regulatory function that NAFDAC is taking in terms of regulating drug market in Nigeria.

 

They are very vital and I want to give them Kudos. “However, there is a salient area that the report does not touch, especially when you look at the SMEs businesses. “There is need to inspect a factory if I want to import goods from another country into Nigeria. Regulatory wise, NAFDAC will go there to inspect that factory to see the goods.

 

However, it’s now said that NAFDAC has to be self-sustaining. We are saying that we want to encourage SMEs to come on board and people have to pay as much as $10,000 to go to China, India, USA to inspect factories.

 

“If we have 10,000 SMEs trying to import the COVID-19 vaccine as we speak now, which is an emergency measure of the entire world, NAFDAC is going to collect $10,000 from each and anyone of us to go and inspect Pfizer factory where it is being produced.

 

 

Now, that is not being addressed. That’s supposed to be a regulatory function of NAFDAC. However, if you are going to transfer that regulatory function to the customer in this COVID-19 era, you are no longer going and you are still collecting that $10,000. How do you expect the SMEs to survive?”

 

Speaking for NAFDAC, a director in the agency, Prof. Samson Adebayo, explained that the chairman of the LCCI Pharmaceutical Allied Sub-sector was absolutely wrong as those goods the importers intend to import are for commercial purposes and there is need to do the needful statutorily for NAFDAC.

 

He said: “Mr. Kunle started with a payment for GMP that it supposed to be NAFDAC’s responsibility. I need to correct that because that is wrong. You can only say that you are aware that government funds every importer, who intends to bring in products to Nigeria. Otherwise, when you say it is NAFDAC regulatory function or responsibility where will NAFDAC get the money except the person who is bringing in the products pays for it.”

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