By Ogbonnaya Obinna, Abakaliki
THE National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday seized suspected fake and substandard drugs, drinks, beverages and creams at different pharmaceutical stores and patent medicine shops in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
NAFDAC’s Deputy Director,who led the team, Mrs.Comfort Makanjuola, said the drugs were seized during a routine check of pharmaceutical products in the state. She said the free scan machine was used in checking the products, adding that the products would be subjected to further checks in Lagos.
The NAFDAC team visited pharmaceutical shops in Ishieke, Afikpo and Ogoja roads , Federal Medical Centre in Abakaliki, Afikpo and Onueke and other parts of the state.
She said after test at the NAFDAC office in Lagos, the agency would publish the names of the fake drugs and their batch numbers.
Mrs Makanjuola said the free scan machine has helped in curbing the activities of those he described as merchants of deaths. “The free scan machine is used to access the quality and efficacy of drugs sold in our markets. The machine is a potable hand-held device, which has helped in curbing the activities of merchants of death”.
“It is regrettable and unfortunate that some unscrupulous people, in their quest to get rich quick, compromise the health of patients. With the help of the free scan machine, spiral drugs had been mopped up from circulation. Investigation along the distribution line of drugs eventually led to the arrest of the importers of the drugs,” she said.
She said the agency had discovered the drugs that are commonly faked and gave their names as anti- malaria drugs, antibiotics, anti- diabetic drugs and anti-hypertensive drugs. The NAFDAC chief urged Nigerians to always ascertain the efficacy of the drugs before buying them.
“When you say that some drugs failed, it does not mean that every drug with the same name failed, there is a particular batch of the drug that failed. The moment a genuine company produces a particular drug, some people fake the drug and package it in a manner that you cannot differentiate between the original and the fake. But with the machine, we ascertain it and immediately go after the importer”.
“We found suspected fake drugs in the stores, we have invited them to come to our office along with the receipt of purchase. With the receipt, we can trace the supplier and with the help of the supplier, we would definitely catch the importer of such drugs,” she said.
The NAFDAC chief said the routine check was not meant to intimate people but to ensure that the drugs in the different markets are genuine.
She assured that the agency would rid the country of fake and substandard drugs.
She urged Nigerians to report suspected drugs to the NAFDAC officers.
via The Nation
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