AWARENESS OF NAFDAC CAMPAIGN ON THE SALES OF FAKE DRUGS AND ATTITUDE OF CONSUMERS TO SCRATCH FOR ORIGINALITY

The study examines Awareness of NAFDAC Campaign on the Sales of Fake Drugs and Attitude of Consumers to Scratch for Originality. Five (5) objectives guided the study. The study focused on residents of Offa, Kwara State. The objectives of this study are to investigate the level of awareness among Offa residents regarding NAFDAC's campaign against fake drugs, determine the extent to which awareness of NAFDAC’s campaign influences consumer behavior towards checking drug originality, investigate the factors that encourage or discourage consumers from using the scratch-for-originality feature and identify the challenges consumers face in verifying drug authenticity using the scratch-for-originality method. To achieve this, the quantitative research design was adopted. A total of 350 people responded to questionnaire administered. The questionnaires were administered via google forms to ensure wider coverage, participation and accuracy. Data analysis was done through frequency tables and percentages.Findings showed that most residents of Offa are aware of NAFDAC’s campaign against fake drugs.Findings revealed that trust in NAFDAC and the belief that the scratch code helps identify genuine drugs encourage some consumers to verify drug authenticity. The study recommends that NAFDAC should intensify its education campaigns to not only raise awareness but also encourage consumers to consistently use the scratch code system. Keywords: NAFDAC, fake drugs, consumer awareness, scratch-for-originality, drug authenticity.