By Haruna Gimba
The National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it has destroyed substandard, falsified and expired drugs and other related products worth N400 million in Nasarawa State.
The Director General of the agency, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, disclosed this at the site of the destruction in Lafia, the state capital.
Health Reporters gathered that the exercise is a North-Central geo-political zone programme comprising of all the six states in the zone.
Represented by the Director of Special Duties, Mr Abubakar Jimoh, she said the products destroyed were made up of substandard and falsified medical products, unwholesome processed food products.
Others are cosmetics and other counterfeit unsafe products seized by the agency from manufacturers, importers and distributors in the North Central zone of the country.
“Also expired drugs voluntarily handed over by compliant companies, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), trade unions, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and National Association of Proprietary and Patent Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED) are included in this exercise,” she said.
According to the NAFDAC boss, the estimated value of the products destroyed is N400 million comprising drugs such as antibiotics, antihypertensive, antimalarial, herbal remedies, psychoactive and controlled substances.
“Others include foods such as spaghetti, vegetable oil, non-alcoholic beverages, sachet water, etc. Cosmetics products include creams, pomade, etc, while chemicals include fake insecticides.
“The public destruction of these products will no doubt eliminate the risk of their reintroduction into the Nigeria market,” she said. She said the counterfeiting of drugs and other products was an act of economic sabotage that also represents a serious threat to public health hence the importance given to the destruction of the products mopped from various sources.
She added that the agency would continue to aggressively pursue the goal that only genuine medicines and wholesome foods of the right
qualities are imported, exported, manufactured and distributed.
“The destruction of these items today is a testimony of our resolve to safeguard the health of our nation. I can assure you that NAFDAC is doing everything to ensure that right quality medicines and wholesome foods are sold to Nigerians,” Adeyeye added.
