Traceability for strengthening supply chain systems and enhancing real-time visibility:
Focus of NAFDAC on advancing vaccine traceability in Nigeria
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National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Lagos, Nigeria
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Corresponding author
Mojisola C. Adeyeye
National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Lagos, Nigeria
Ann. Acad. Med. Siles. 2024;78:276-281
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ABSTRACT
This study explores the successful implementation of activities aimed at scaling traceability for COVID-19 and routine immunization (RI) vaccines to the local government area and selected healthcare facilities in Nigeria, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study was executed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and sought to enhance supply chain systems by deploying advanced traceability mechanisms and ensuring real-time stock visibility. The article discusses the accomplishments, challenges, and regulatory framework of NAFDAC, emphasizing GS1 technology-driven traceability, and presents the results of the field scanning activities conducted in July 2023. The approach involved a phased public sector pilot, showcasing the feasibility and challenges of tracking vaccine movement through the supply chain. The result shows the detection of 43 unique products across 1022 facilities from a total of 110,113 scans, offering valuable insights into vaccine distributions. The strategic goals of the project aligned with developing safety surveillance systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to facilitate patient access to global health products. Similarly, significant improvement in traceability through automated data capture (barcode scanning) and expanded coverage for COVID-19 and selected RI vaccines in Nigeria was found. Against this background, the information derived from this report will build confidence in patients regarding vaccine authenticity, establish a transparent and robust supply chain, and foster pharmacovigilance capability through integration with the track-and-trace systems. Thus, the study provides invaluable insights and opportunities for global health practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to incorporate track-and-trace into regulatory systems by other national regulatory authorities.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are grateful to the Global Steering Committee and Mr. Tom Woods, the Coordinator who fostered the Traceability Project through the second African GS1 Health Conference in Nigeria. We extend our deep appreciation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for its invaluable support in funding the project, enabling the procurement of scanners, and facilitating the training and supervision of officers across various states for the scanning activities. Our sincere gratitude also goes to the dedicated NAFDAC staff who tirelessly contributed to the success of this project, ensuring effective scanning across facilities in their respective states in collaboration with the State Cold Chain Officers, whose efforts we duly recognize. Special acknowledgment is given to the NAFDAC Traceability Office and GS1 Nigeria for their significant contribution and technical support during the implementation of this project. We thank the Director General of NAFDAC for the final edits and approval of this study.
FUNDING
Financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was received for this study.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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