NAFDAC seizes N5b fake medicines, food products, and cosmetics
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Tramadol worth N2 trillion has been seized and destroyed in the past three years by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in its push to curtain the trafficking of illegal drugs.
Tramadol, a strong painkiller, is used to treat moderate to severe pain, for example after an operation or a serious injury. It is also used to treat long-standing pain when weaker painkillers no longer work, according to www.nhs.uk
But because of its unique effect on serotonin, Tramadol may lead to serotonin syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition linked to hypertension, tachycardia, and cardiac arrhythmia.
NAFDCA Director General Mojisola Adeyeye disclosed in Abuja that between March and August, the agency seized and destroyed falsified medicines, unwholesome food products and cosmetics estimated at over N5 billion.
She said because of its emphasis on local herbal medicines, it stepped down approval of imported herbal medicines that have similarities with those produced in Nigeria.
She explained that NAFDAC engaged in those activities to eliminate falsified, substandard products and illicit drugs.
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Detection and destruction of fake medicines
“Detection and elimination of substandard and falsified medicines (SFs), unsafe or illicit drugs, unwholesome foods, chemicals and other regulated products, is the crux of our regulatory activities and involves almost all the technical directorates,” Adeyeye disclosed, per reporting by The Nation.
She named the directorates as
- Investigation and Enforcement
- Ports Inspection
- Pharmacovigilance and Post-Market Surveillance
- Laboratory Services
- Chemical Inspections
- Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
- Narcotics and Controlled Substances
- Veterinary Medicines and Allied Products Directorate
According to Adeyeye, NAFDAC has been highly proactive and vigilant in the effort to combat SFs, illicit drugs, and chemicals as well as unwholesome foods.
She said it has deployed multifaceted strategies which include
- Enforcement of regulation and control of imported APIs to ensure they meet the required standards for manufacturing of drugs.
- Reduction in the number of registered imported products and encouraging local manufacturing and innovation.
- Overhaul of pre-shipment clean report of inspection and analysis of imported medicines and other NAFDAC regulated products.
- Deployment of cutting-edge monitoring technologies.
- Risk-based laboratory testing.
- Public enlightenment on SFs.
- Inter-agency, inter-professional collaboration and community efforts.
- Continuous post-marketing monitoring of quality of medicines.
Tramadol merchants go underground
Adeyeye recounted that her “relentless efforts” took NAFDA back to the ports in May 2018, facilitated by the Office of the National Security Adviser coupled with rigorous inspection and enforcement activities.
“The agency in collaboration with Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) has seized and destroyed SFs, unwholesome foods and other unregulated products worth N4,000,260,000 in exercises across the nation and Tramadol with estimated street value of N2,000,000,000,000. The impact is there.”
“Most of the Tramadol merchants have gone underground. They have been almost decimated, leaving only just a few of them there. And we will continue to pursue them until they turn a new leaf and abandon the dangerous trade.
“The street value of falsified medicines and unwholesome food products and cosmetics seized and destroyed across the country by the agency between March and August of 2021 alone stood at over N5 billion.”