WHO prequalification approval: NAFDAC praises SWIPHA, encourages other local stakeholders to embrace collaboration
By Ibiyemi Mathew
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has praised Swiss Pharma (SWIPHA) Nigeria Limited for being the first manufacturer of finished pharmaceutical product to attain prequalification of its product by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Commending the company, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye said she is convinced this milestone will be the beginning of more companies joining the new era of Nigerian pharmaceutical products receiving prequalification approval for many medicines and become active traders in the global market.
She added that, “SWIPHA now has the advantage to compete successfully for contract manufacture for local and multinational organization.
“WHO PQ will create huge public health and economic impact in Nigeria by ensuring an increased availability of quality, efficacious and safe medicines and reducing reliance on imports for public health intervention,” she noted.
Professor Mojisola noted that the milestone is an outcome of meaningful collaboration between the Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited and NAFDAC, as well as a systematic implementation of policies by the Agency.
She also seized the occasion to encourage other frontline local drug manufacturers to emulate this feat through harmonisation of collective aspiration and synergy of effort with the Agency to achieve more.
“As a customer-focused and Agency-minded organisation, our doors are open to serious minded manufacturers who intend to achieve a similar feat and attain global recognition as provided by the WHO prequalification program,” she said.
Mr Frederic Lieutaud, Managing Director/CEO of Swipha thanked the management of NAFDAC for her continued partnership and technical support during the palatability studies for the now prequalified product, GMP reassessment of the manufacturer’s facility prior to the site inspection by the prequalification inspection team of the WHO.
The WHO Prequalification Unit added a Pediatric Zinc Sulphate tablet (20mg dispersible tablet) manufactured by SWIPHA to its list of prequalified medicines on the 2nd of May 2023.
