NAFDAC Warns Against Irrational Use of Medicines

By Adebola Isimijola, Lagos

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has called on healthcare professionals, medicine vendors, patients and other stakeholders to promote the rational use of medicines and strengthen pharmacovigilance practices to enhance patient safety and public health outcomes.

The agency warned that irrational use of medicines, including self-medication, misuse of antibiotics, incorrect dosing, drug sharing and the use of counterfeit and substandard medicines, could lead to adverse drug reactions, treatment failure, antimicrobial resistance, increased healthcare costs and preventable deaths.

The call was contained in a statement posted on NAFDAC’s X handle on Thursday following a Community Sensitisation Programme on Pharmacovigilance held in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State.

According to the statement, the Director of Pharmacovigilance, Dr. Uchenna Elemuwa, who represented the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, at the programme, stressed the importance of pharmacovigilance in safeguarding public health.

She explained that pharmacovigilance plays a critical role in detecting, assessing, understanding and preventing medicine-related problems, while ensuring the continued safety and effectiveness of medicines after they have been approved for use.

NAFDAC reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening post-market surveillance, adverse drug reaction reporting, risk communication and public awareness initiatives across the country.

The agency urged healthcare professionals and members of the public to utilise available channels for reporting adverse drug reactions and medicine-related concerns, noting that every report contributes to protecting lives and improving medicine safety.

It also called for greater collaboration among healthcare institutions, professional bodies, industry stakeholders and communities to combat antimicrobial resistance, promote medicine safety and build a stronger culture of pharmacovigilance nationwide.