Nollywood actress Mary Remmy Njoku has raised an alarm over the circulation of potentially fake or ineffective medications in Nigeria, citing her personal experience with food poisoning on a film set.
The mother of four via Instagram recounted how she purchased a certain medication from a well-known pharmacy chain in Nigeria, but after taking the medication for three days, her symptoms persisted.
However, when her husband bought the same medication from abroad, she experienced rapid relief within five minutes.
Njoku questioned the quality of medications sold locally, noting that this was not an isolated incident. She urged the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to take immediate action, warning that substandard drugs pose a serious public health threat.
In her words she said, “I want to share a recent experience: I had food poisoning on a set and sent a staff member to buy Imodium from a well-known pharmacy chain in Nigeria. A medication I’ve used many times before. I took it for about three days, but my symptoms persisted. Then my husband bought a tiny tablet of the same Imodium from abroad, and after taking it, my stomach issues subsided within just five minutes.
“This isn’t the first time I have noticed a difference. So I have to ask: What exactly are we being sold in Nigeria? What’s going on with our drugs? This is a public health risk, and NAFDAC must take it seriously. This is very dangerous.”