Pharmacists Blame FG, NAFDAC for Soaring Drug Prices, Demand Urgent Reforms
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Lagos State branch, has accused the Federal Government and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) of worsening the drug pricing crisis in the country, despite recent policy interventions aimed at reducing costs.
In a statement made available Chairman, Oyekunle Babayemi, described President Bola Tinubu’s executive order signed in June 2024 to reduce drug prices as a “complete failure” that has deepened the pharmaceutical sector’s woes.
“The Executive Order, which was supposed to remove tariffs, excise duties, and VAT on pharmaceutical inputs, has not translated into cheaper drugs. Instead, Nigerians are paying more, and life-saving medicines are becoming scarce,” Babayemi said.
He argued that the policy now widely dismissed as “sick and stranded” was flawed from inception, as it failed to address the root causes of drug price inflation such as over-reliance on imports and regulatory bottlenecks.
Babayemi particularly faulted NAFDAC for imposing what he described as “exploitative and unjust fees” on drug manufacturers and importers. According to him, the agency’s multiple Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) inspection charges are stifling competition and driving smaller businesses out of the market.
“The first company pays $10,989.01 for a foreign site inspection, while others pay an additional $5,000 each for a so-called ‘risk-based desk review’. This is monumental injustice. Why should we pay repeatedly for the same inspection? This is no longer regulation; it is revenue generation at the cost of public health,” he said.
The pharmacist also warned that NAFDAC’s prolonged registration processes and the proposed Track and Trace policy which would require full repackaging of existing drug products could worsen the situation.
“Implementing Track and Trace will raise drug prices by 70 to 85 per cent. This is suicidal in a country where patients are already struggling to afford basic medicines,” he added.
Babayemi accused NAFDAC of focusing more on aligning with the World Health Organisation (WHO) than on addressing Nigeria’s peculiar challenges.
“India supplies over 50 per cent of Nigeria’s drugs and is already on WHO’s ML1 status. Nigeria, still import-dependent, is on ML3. Instead of fixing our domestic systems, NAFDAC is chasing international benchmarks that don’t suit our realities,” he said.
The PSN chairman urged President Tinubu to urgently review existing policies and set up a Presidential Committee on the Pharmaceutical Sector to be led by a registered pharmacist.
“A physician cannot successfully administer the pharmaceutical sector. Pharmacists must lead drug policy if we are truly serious about lowering costs,” Babayemi stated.
While acknowledging the government’s intentions, he maintained that without structural reforms in regulation and enforcement, drug prices would continue to soar, leaving millions of Nigerians at risk.
“Unless decisive steps are taken, the cost of essential medicines will spiral out of control and endanger public health,” he warned.
