NIGERIA – The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has highlighted the need for quality control and standardization of the pharmaceutical sector in Nigeria for efficiency in drug development, manufacturing and distribution.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria is mandated to oversee preparation of standards relating products, measurements, materials, processes and services along with their promotion at National, Regional and International levels.
The organization also has authority over certification of products and assistance in the production of quality goods and services as well as improvement of measurement accuracies and circulation of information relating to standards.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has called on pharmaceutical manufacturers to participate in development and adoption of standards for safe, quality medicines and medical devices imported or produced to bolster the nation’s economy growth.
Standards are applied in the pharmaceutical industry to ensure the strength of the active ingredient quality and purity of drugs and other pharmaceutical products for quality control in the entire chain of drug production to its distribution
Moreover, SON is actively involved in the harmonization of various African pharmaceutical standards as a member of African Organisation for Standardization (ARSO), an Intergovernmental body formed in 1977 to o promote Standardization activities in Africa to facilitate intra-African and Global trade.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has partnered with ARSO to developed over 10 standards on African Traditional Medicine for use in Nigeria aligned with the World Health Organization Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 aimed at building the knowledge base and formulating national policies.
The call for pharmaceutical industry standardization seeks to address unique challenges facing the African trade while promoting harmonization activities for medical devices and equipment, pharmaceutical and medical products as well as African traditional medicine.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria reaffirmed its commitment to working with relevant authorities such as National Agency for Food, Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for the approval of more traditional medicine standards.
SON Director General Mallam Farouk Salim explained that standards in the pharmaceutical sector was very important as pharmaceutical practice has zero tolerance for error, adding that Standards enhances investment in trade particularly the Africa healthcare industry.
He further said that Standards are applied in the pharmaceutical industry to ensure the strength of the active ingredient quality and purity of drugs and other pharmaceutical products for quality control in the entire chain of drug production to its distribution.
“The objective of the Nigeria Pharmaceutical Industry to provide 60 per cent of pharmaceutical products consumed by West African countries was largely dependent on regulatory requirements required by their marketing authorization,” emphasized Director General Mallam Farouk.
He maintained that SON follows a well-planned procedure for establishing standards in order to effectively deliver on its mandate and promote the required standards to ensure the safety of goods and services in the country in line with international regulatory requirements for trade.
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