DFID supports the World Health Organisation (WHO), through its core funding, in its efforts to help African countries strengthen their pharmaceutical legislation, good manufacturing practices, national drug regulatory capacity and performance. The WHO also promotes information exchange among drug regulatory authorities to help combat drug counterfeiters.
The UK Government are working closely with developed and developing country governments, international institutions such as the World Health Organisation, non government organisations and the private sector to develop the Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) to build support for transparency in medicines procurement and supply to help to drive out counterfeiting as well as corruption, excessive mark-ups and inefficiencies. We expect to launch MeTA in a number of pilot countries in mid 2007.
DFID has provided support to Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control which has taken an active lead in reducing counterfeit drugs throughout the country.