The Managing Director of Troop Pharmaceutical Limited, Chizomam Emeje, has criticised the persistent weaknesses in Nigeria’s drug distribution system, calling for an overhaul of the country’s medicine supply chain.
Emeje warned that gaps in the medicine supply chains continue to enable the circulation of counterfeit products across the country.
Emeje, a pharmacist, stated this while speaking at the signing of a strategic distribution partnership between Troop Pharmaceuticals and New Height Pharma Limited in Lagos on Wednesday.
The partnership designates NHP Healthcare, a subsidiary of New Height Pharma Limited, as the exclusive nationwide distributor of Troop-C Vitamin C, a product that has been in the Nigerian market for over two decades.
According to her, the continued appearance of fake medicines, even among widely used supplements, highlights serious structural problems within Nigeria’s pharmaceutical distribution network.
“If counterfeit products can appear even in something as common as Vitamin C, then it shows that there is a serious gap in the system,” she said.
Emeje, who is also the Vice-Chairman of the Courier and Logistics Management Institute, noted that inefficient distribution channels remain one of the major drivers of substandard and falsified medicines reaching consumers, stressing the need for more structured and regulated supply chains.
Emeje explained that strengthening formal distribution systems is critical not only for expanding access to medicines but also for safeguarding public health.
“We must ensure that quality products reach consumers through organised and traceable channels. That is one of the ways to reduce the risk of counterfeit medicines in circulation,” she said.
She added that improving access to trusted pharmaceutical products in underserved communities would help close gaps often exploited by illegal drug vendors.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director of New Height Pharma Limited, Ogheneochuko Omaruaye, said collaboration among industry players is necessary to address longstanding logistics and distribution challenges.
“Distribution in Nigeria is capital-intensive. Through collaboration, we can pool resources, reduce costs, and focus on delivering medicines efficiently to the nooks and crannies of the country,” said Omaruaye, a pharmacist who is also the Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Wholesalers and Distributors Association of Nigeria.
Other experts at the event also emphasised the role of logistics in securing the medicine supply chain.
The Executive Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Management Institute, represented by his executive assistant, Mr Simon Emmanuel, noted that “efficient logistics systems are essential to ensuring medicines move safely from manufacturers to end users.”
Recall that pharmaceutical industry stakeholders in recent times have advocated the strengthening of the distribution networks for medicines, noting that it remains key to tackling counterfeit drugs, improving medicine access, and restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s pharmaceutical system.
