Nigeria's drug regulatory authority is sounding the alarm on how antibiotics are being used, and the message is urgent. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, is calling for more rational use of medicines and stronger pharmacovigilance systems to protect patients across the country.
At the heart of the conversation is antimicrobial resistance, AMR, which NAFDAC's leadership describes as one of the greatest threats to global health today. Mrs. Adeyeye pointed directly to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics as the driving force behind this growing crisis. When medicines are taken incorrectly or unnecessarily, they stop working, and that affects everyone.
Pharmacovigilance, the ongoing monitoring of medicines once they are in use, is being positioned as a key part of the solution. Stronger systems in this area mean that harmful side effects and drug interactions can be caught earlier, and patients are better protected at every stage of their treatment.
The push from NAFDAC arrives at a time when self-medication and over-the-counter antibiotic sales remain common across many Nigerian communities. How quickly that culture shifts may well determine how prepared the country is for the health challenges ahead.
Originally published by Premium Times.