NAFDAC unveils digital app against fake medicines
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has launched an improved version of its Med Safety App to strengthen the reporting of substandard and falsified medical products across Nigeria.
The agency said the upgraded digital platform enables healthcare professionals and members of the public to quickly, securely, and conveniently report suspected fake or substandard medicines, as well as adverse drug reactions.
The application is designed to provide Nigerians with a practical tool to support the fight against falsified medical products and promote access to safe, effective, and quality-assured medicines.
According to a press release issued on Wednesday, the launch marks a significant step in NAFDAC’s efforts to enhance post-marketing surveillance and increase public participation in safeguarding the quality, safety, and effectiveness of medical products.
NAFDAC noted that substandard and falsified medicines remain a major public health concern, contributing to treatment failure, prolonged illness, antimicrobial resistance, disability, and preventable deaths.
The agency explained that the upgraded Med Safety App features a more user-friendly interface, simplified reporting procedures, improved feedback mechanisms, and enhanced data management capabilities.
According to the agency, users can also upload photographs and relevant product information to support regulatory investigations.
The app allows users to report medicines with altered expiry dates, suspicious packaging, missing or fake NAFDAC registration numbers, poor product quality, unexpected treatment failure, and other signs of possible falsification.
It also provides a platform for reporting adverse drug reactions, including unexpected side effects and harmful responses to medications.
NAFDAC said reports submitted through the app will aid early detection of unsafe products, support prompt investigations and regulatory action, strengthen medicine quality surveillance, and help remove harmful products from circulation.
The agency added that increased public engagement since the introduction of the improved platform has already enhanced medicine safety monitoring and accelerated the identification of potential public health threats.
NAFDAC urged healthcare professionals, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, patent and proprietary medicine vendors, community health workers, patients, caregivers, and the general public to download and actively use the Med Safety App.
NAFDAC Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, said the initiative reflects the agency’s commitment to protecting public health through improved medicine safety monitoring and community participation.