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Tag: NAFDAC

  • NAFDAC raises alarm over Fufu with hypo being sold in markets

    NAFDAC raises alarm over Fufu with hypo being sold in markets

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has again raised an alarm over the practice of adding hypo-chloride to Fufu, also known as Akpu.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye gave the warning on Monday in Abuja while warning Nigerians to desist from the habit of adding chemicals to food for whatever reasons.

    Adeyeye was reacting to alleged mixing of chemicals like Jatropha Curcas leaves, hypo detergent and potash with Akpu, which is also known as Fufu, to make it rise, be soft and ferment.

    Such practice was allegedly done in some parts of Ondo and Ekiti states, especially in the popular Fufu Market at Oke Lisa Street, Adjacent A-Division in Akure.

    The practice was also alleged to be going on at Ilu-Abo, Owode, Ogbese, Igbara-Oke, Igbara-Odo, Ifaki-Ekiti, Oba-Ile, all in Ondo and Ekiti, to make more gains.

    The NAFDAC director-general said that the agency was aware of the alleged practice and warned those indulging in the act to desist.

    She said that the agency recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) where youth corps members would be made to sensitise citizens on such practices at the grassroots.

    She added that “it is true what some people do, but it is not all Fufu that have hypo-chloride in it.

    “This is why the engagement of the corps members is necessary, to explain to the people that they don’t need to add any chemical, except salt and sugar and must also be minimised.

    “Too much salt could cause hypertension later-on in life, too much sugar, you are playing with diabetics, you don’t have to put chemical on food to make it to rise or whatsoever reasons.

    “Fufu has been an ancient food and chemical had never been added to it.

    “I don’t know what these people actually mean, may be to make it to rise or soften it, this has affected so many people’s health but the NYSC will be at hand to educate the people.

  • Nigerian Customs impound over 1000 bags of poisonous rice

    Nigerian Customs impound over 1000 bags of poisonous rice

    Men of the Nigerian Customs Service have confiscated over 1000 bags of poisonous rice in Ogun State, Thursday.

     

    Acting Comptroller, FoU, Zone A, Hussein Ejibunu, during a press conference said that the bags of parboiled rice came into Cotonou from India.

     

    The bags of rice were smuggled into the country through Benin Republic Ejibunu said.

     

    “After seizing the smuggled rice, we called NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control) to conduct laboratory analysis and it was gathered that the rice named SIMBA which consists of Led substances that is poisonous to the body was produced in India,” Ejibunu said.

     

    Similarly, in December 2016, Nigerian customs confiscated 2.5 tonnes of “plastic rice” smuggled into the country by unscrupulous businessmen.

     

    According to the agency, the fake rice, said to be sticky after being boiled, was intended to be sold during the festive season.

    Incidentally, rice is the most popular staple food in Nigeria.

  • NAFDAC raises alarm over recall of five brands of male sex enhancement pills sold on Amazon

    NAFDAC raises alarm over recall of five brands of male sex enhancement pills sold on Amazon

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Monday said it has been notified about the recall of five brands of male sex enhancement pills sold on Amazon.

    The public alert with No. 010/2022, was signed by the agency’s Director-General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye.

    He stated that the recall was a result of undeclared Tadalafil/Sildenafil present in the pills.

    According to the alert, NAFDAC is notifying the public of a voluntary recall of the brands of the male sex enhancement pills by their manufacturing companies.

    The alert said that consumers with underlying medical issues who take Alpha male plus male enhancer with undeclared tadalafil may experience serious health risks as the PDE-5 inhibitors may interact with nitrates found in some of their prescription drugs.

    It stated that the recall followed a notification by Amazon to the Food and Drug Agency (FDA), U.S.A, of the laboratory analysis which found the products to contain undeclared tadalafil/sildenafil.

    NAFDAC explained in the alert that Sildenafil and tadalafil are ingredients known as phosphodiesterase (PDE-5) inhibitor found in FDA-approved products for the treatment of male erectile dysfunction.

    It stated that the presence of sildenafil/tadalafil in the products made them unapproved drugs for which their safety and efficacy had not been established and therefore, subject to recall.

    The alert said that the implicated products are marketed as dietary supplements for male sexual enhancement and sold online on Amazon at www.amazon.com.

    According to the alert, the undeclared tadalafil/sildenafil ingredient may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels that may be life-threatening.

    It added that such a situation is a risk for people with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease who often take nitrates.

    NAFDAC, however, implored consumers to stop the purchase and use of the products.

    It added that members of the public in possession of the implicated products were implored to stop the sale or use, as well as hand over products to the nearest NAFDAC office.

    NAFDAC also called on patients to contact their physicians or healthcare providers if they experienced any problems that may be related to using any of the implicated products.

    “NAFDAC encourages healthcare professionals, consumers and patients to report adverse events related to the use of the products to the nearest NAFDAC office, or NAFDAC PRASCOR (20543 TOLLS FREE from all networks).

    It also called on the public to report any adverse events via pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng, or through E-reporting platforms available on the NAFDAC website or via the Med-Safety application available for download on android and IOS stores.

  • Take fight against drug abuse to borders – Saraki tells FG

    Take fight against drug abuse to borders – Saraki tells FG

    Former President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has called on government and other stakeholders to take the fight against drug abuse to our various borders in order to cut off supply of illicit drugs into the country.

    Represented by Dr. Ali Ahmad, former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly at the 7th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Northern Broadcasting Media Owners Association in Kano on Monday, Saraki, who spearheaded the 8th Senate’s 2017 Roundtable on the ‘Drug Use Crisis in Nigeria,’ stated that the country must adopt tougher measure to discourage those who want to turn the country into a drug hub in West Africa.

    “The government simply has to get a handle on the problem of ‘supply reduction’ as the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) calls it. This must first and foremost start with our porous borders. Since our drug problem and our insecurity problem are indeed interlinked and we certainly do not want to become the drugs hub of West Africa, combating drug abuse and drug trafficking in the North must go hand in hand with combating banditry. Without customers, no bandit-dealers, with no dealers, no customers,” the former Governor of Kwara State said.

    Saraki also called for stricter enforcement of NAFDAC regulations, to enforce the use of prescriptions for certain classes of drugs, while also calling on the media to play a central role in sensitising the public about the dangers of drug abuse.

    He emphasised that with 14.4 percent of Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 on drugs, it is important that leaders across the nation develop the necessary political will to adopt sustainable solutions to combat the drug use crisis.

    He said: “Today, possibly triggered by the legislative work done by Eighth Senate, when, as some of you may remember, on December 18, 2017, we convened a roundtable dialogue on the Drug Use Crisis in Nigeria, here in Kano, some pharmaceutical companies have been closed to stop illicit production, but the problem persists.

    “To be frank, the media can play a major role. You can support, if not drive, both ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ reduction. I believe the following three areas are all-natural fits:

    “First, you can play a strong role in awareness-building. Who is better suited than the media to describe the epidemic as just that, and do not let it drop out of the headlines? Likewise, I would imagine this could be supported in particular by highlighting the human interest side. This would ultimately dovetail with campaigns advocating for our state governors to assist in providing more treatment facilities, outreach, and public education. Today, most government health facilities are not staffed and equipped for treatment and care for people with drug use disorders.

    Second, the media is ideally placed to “name and shame”. To provide investigative reporting on drug/pharmaceutical production and sales. Where NAFDAC rules cannot be enforced, for whatever reasons, the media can make a difference. Where things get sold not over the counter but under the counter, their cameras can be pointed. Would the big stories we read about and view or hear about have entered the public space without the emphasis you in the media placed on it? NO. Your reports, incidentally, also indirectly help legislators and law enforcement agencies in their efforts to step indecisively.

    “Third, you could champion an Anti-Drugs Crusade. For example, by ‘de-glamourizing’ those video clips where showbiz kids get stoked up on whatever substances. By linking such activities to the downside of drug abuse. At the same time, you could, and rightly, glamorize the actions of NDLEA, NAFDAC, border patrols – because those are the heroes protecting us,” Dr. Saraki said.

  • BREAKING: NAFDAC impounds 120 tons of dangerous imported ‘ponmo’

    BREAKING: NAFDAC impounds 120 tons of dangerous imported ‘ponmo’

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has intercepted in Lagos, large quantities of dangerous animal hides and skins popularly known as Ponmo with seven merchants of the deadly product in the Agency’s net.

    The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye however warned the general public, particularly consumers of Ponmo against the activities of some unscrupulous businessmen and traders who are selling industrial animal hides as food articles.

    Prof Adeyeye, in a statement by the Resident Media Consultant to NAFDAC, Sayo Akintola, in Lagos on Sunday, disclosed that the NAFDAC Investigation and Enforcement officials swiftly carried out intelligence gathering around certain locations where the alleged products were being warehoused and sold.

    This was in response to several complaints received from the public, pertaining to alleged sale and distribution of imported hides and skins meant for use in leather industries and which had already been processed with industrial chemicals. These hides and skins are then sold to unsuspecting public as consumable animal skin products, otherwise called Ponmo.

    ‘’Monitoring was also extended to some buyers who patronize the sellers and custodians of the warehouse’’, she said, adding that preliminary investigation revealed that some of the hides and skins were imported illegally and sometimes diverted to some merchants of death who re-process the hides and skins and further sell them as consumable Ponmo to the public.

    In the light of these discoveries, she said that the Agency recently conducted investigative raids upon some identified locations in Lagos State where market women and men were found clustered for purchase of leftovers from the warehouses.

    She disclosed that large quantities (120 tons) of the products were intercepted at six different locations, stressing that seven suspects who were alleged to be involved in the acts are currently under investigation.

    The NAFDAC boss further explained that samples of the products have been sent to the laboratory for testing so as to ascertain the products quality and unwholesomeness. According to her, the intervention would help the Agency deal with the interaction and the dangers associated with the consumption of these products.

    ‘’The street value of the product currently intercepted is estimated to be around N25.330m only’’, she said.

    Prof Adeyeye however, alerted the general public on the existence of these merchants of death and their nefarious activities as she warned Nigerians to exercise caution when buying animal hides, popularly known as Ponmo

    ‘’NAFDAC wishes to advise consumers and retailers of Ponmo not to patronize importers of hides and skins for consumable animal skins’’, she said.

    She further warned that the hides, are pre-treated with industrial chemicals which are not of food grade and will be toxic and injurious to human health, stressing that health hazards inherent in the consumption of such animal hides include risk of Liver, Kidney and Heart damage, increased risk of Aplastic anemia, Central nervous system toxicity, Cancer, amongst several others.

    “The general public is hereby encouraged to be very vigilant and exercise discretion when purchasing animal hides PONMO and indeed other food items. NAFDAC is fully alive to her responsibilities of assuring the safety, wholesomeness, and quality of processed foods offered for sale to the public’’.

  • Anambra man sentenced to 7 years in prison for falsifying Emzor paracetamol

    Anambra man sentenced to 7 years in prison for falsifying Emzor paracetamol

    An Anambra State based man named Ogbodo Friday has been sentenced to 7 years in prison for falsifying Emzor paracetamol.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Friday was sentenced to 7 years in prison without an option of fine for endangering the lives of innocent consumers through circulation of fake drugs.

    He was sentenced on Tuesday by a Federal High Court in Awka, Anambra State in what the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has described as a boost to ongoing war against the circulation of substandard and falsified medicines in Nigeria.

    Friday, a middle-aged man, was arrested by the investigation and enforcement officers of NAFDAC in his residence at 18, Abagana street, Fegge, Onitsha, Anambra State where falsified Maldox (Sulfadoxine and Pyrimethamine), a brand of anti-malaria tablet manufactured by a registered Nigerian Pharmaceutical Company was recovered from him.

    Operatives of the Agency acting on intelligence swooped on his residence in Onitsha and when apprehended, Friday confessed that he cut Emzor Paracetamol tablets and repackaged them as Maldox (Sulfadoxine & Pyrimethamine), which he then supplied to undisclosed dealers in falsified medical products at the head bridge market, Onitsha.

    In a statement signed by the Resident Media Consultant to NAFDAC, Sayo Akintola, in Abuja on Wednesday, the convict claimed that he had been in the business of adulterating and falsifying medicines for more than a year, making huge returns.

    Following the overwhelming evidence, the Agency charged him to court in Charge No: FHC/AWK/C/57/2021- between FRN V. OGBODO FRIDAY.

    On 26th January 2022, he was arraigned at the Federal High Awka, Anambra State before Justice H.A. Nganjiwa on a two-count charge bordering on possession of Fake Maldox (Sulfadoxine and Pyrimethamine) and packaging of Emzor paracetamol in a manner that is misleading.

    After Ogbodo Friday pleaded guilty to the offence, the Prosecution reviewed the facts thereafter and the Court convicted the Defendant on the two-count charge and sentenced him to five years in prison on count 1 and two years in prison on count 2 without an option of fine.

    In his judgment, Justice Nganjiwa condemned the action of the convict, noting with dismay that many people could have died from ingestion of the fake maldox. He emphasized the need for the Court to send the right message to other merchants of death who are still in the dangerous line of business.

    Speaking in the same vein, the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, in palpable elation, commended the judiciary for rising to the occasion when it was needed. She said the Agency would not rest on its oars until all still in the dangerous business of falsifying medicines to make money at the expense of the lives of fellow Nigerians are brought to book or abandon the trade for clean jobs.

    Prof. Adeyeye however, vowed that other similar cases in court would be pursued to a logical conclusion by her Agency with a view to safeguarding the lives of the citizenry.

    She admonished members of the public to always assist NAFDAC in its quest to rid the nation of fake drugs and other unwholesome food products by providing useful information that would lead to the arrest of those who perpetrate the criminal act of falsifying medicines to make money.

    “I urge you and I also encourage you that when you see something, say something. This is the only way we can collectively fight and win the battle against these merchants of death who profiteer in circulating falsified and substandard medicines at the detriment of the wellbeing of their fellow human beings”, she said.

  • NAFDAC bans registration of alcoholic drinks in sachets, bottles

    NAFDAC bans registration of alcoholic drinks in sachets, bottles

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has banned the registration of alcohol in sachets and glass bottles below 200ml.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Moji Adeyeye in Abuja.

    “The registration of new alcoholic drinks in sachets and small volume PET and Glass bottles above 30 per cent ABV (alcohol by volume) has been banned by NAFDAC.

    “The move followed the recommendation of a high powered committee of the Federal Ministry of Health and NAFDAC on one hand, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).

    “This move is also as a result of the support from various Industry represented by Association of Food, Beverages and Tobacco Employers (AFBTE), Distillers and Blenders Association of Nigeria (DIBAN) in December, 2018.

    “The agency will ensure that validity of renewal of already registered alcoholic products in the affected category will not exceed year 2024,” she said.

    The Director-General explained that Manufacturers of low volume alcohol beverages (200ml) with satisfactory Laboratory reports, which were already submitted to

    NAFDAC for registration before this decision, have been directed to reformulate their products at stipulated standard.

    According to her, DIBAN was also given a matching order to embark on intensive nation-wide sensitization campaigns against underage consumption of alcohol by adolescents below the age of 18 years in the bid to stem the tide of alcohol abuse in the country.

    She explained that the producers of alcohol in sachets and small volume agreed to reduce production by 50% with effect from January 31st 2022 while ensuring the products are completely phased out in the country by Jan. 31, 2024.

    “Even as we grapple with the containment of COVID-19 pandemic, NAFDAC is resolutely committed to the strict implementation of the regulations and regulatory measures towards safeguarding the Health of Nigerians.

    “This move is particularly targeted to the vulnerable youths against the dangers of reckless consumption of Alcohol, ” Adeyeye said.

  • NAFDAC implores importers, distributors to discontinue sales, use of Lefin Pediatric Suspension drug

    NAFDAC implores importers, distributors to discontinue sales, use of Lefin Pediatric Suspension drug

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has warned importers, distributors, and consumers to discontinue the sale and use of Lefin Pediatric Suspension drug with immediate effect.
    The agency, on Sunday in a public alert with No. 0047/2021, also asked consumers to hand over the remaining stock of the drug to the nearest NAFDAC office.
    According to the alert, NAFDAC has been informed by Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) about a recent recall of Lefin Pediatric Suspension manufactured by M/S Leama Chemi Pharma (PVT) Limited for being substandard.
    The alert disclosed that Lefin Pediatric suspension is a brand of Paracetamol used for the relief of mild to moderate pain such as headache, muscle aches, toothache as well as pain caused by cold, flu, and sprains.
    “NAFDAC implores importers, distributors, and consumers in possession of the recalled lots of Lefin Pediatric Suspension to discontinue sale or use and hand over the remaining stock to the nearest NAFDAC office.

    “Health professionals and patients are encouraged to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of these medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office.

    “The public could also make use of NAFDAC PRASCOR [20543 or 0800-1-NAFDAC (0800-1-623322) or its TOLL-FREE from all networks] or via pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng.
    “The public is also required to make use of the e-Reporting platform available on the NAFDAC website www.nafdac.gov.ng or via Med Safety application available for download on Android and IOS stores.
  • Stop patronizing herbal concoctions- NAFDAC warns

    Stop patronizing herbal concoctions- NAFDAC warns

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has again cautioned Nigerians against patronising hawkers of herbal concoctions, saying the they lack storage standards.

    The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday.

    NAN quoted the NAFDAC boss as saying that any drug being hawked on the streets or in buses should be avoided because of the uncertainty of its source.

    “For the liquid herbal concoctions, especially after four or five days, they start growing bacteria.

    “Even if the herbal concoction has some medicinal properties, the bacteria will kill the person that is taking it first,” she said.

    Adeyeye, nevertheless, said some of the herbal medicines work but consumers must ensure that they had passed NAFDAC’s safety and efficacy tests.

    “Many of our herbal medicines work but we have to do a lot of research to show how they work, and at what level are we supposed to be taking them so that it will not get to the toxicity level,” she added.

     

  • Nigeria won’t receive expired vaccines from partners again – NAFDAC

    Nigeria won’t receive expired vaccines from partners again – NAFDAC

    Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), says the agency is working with international partners to ensure Nigeria gets vaccines with long expiration date.

    Adeyeye spoke against the backdrop of the one million doses of vaccines that expired in November and were destroyed by NAFDAC and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 1,066,214 doses of expired AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines were destroyed at the Gosa Dumping site in Abuja.

    Adeyeye told NAN on Wednesday in Lagos that the expired vaccines had very short expiration which made it impossible to be administered in time due to logistics reasons.

    She said: “When developed countries started using vaccine for many months, we didn’t have access to them until we started receiving donations, not just through COVAX alone but from some countries also.

    “The expiration date was shorter than what it was supposed to be and between the time we tested and start using it, there was no enough time and that was the only reason not because we were careless.

    “But going forward, we are working with international partners to ensure the expiration date of any vaccine we will be receiving are up to five or six months.”

    On the new Omnicron variant of COVID-19, the D-G said that studies on the variants was still ongoing globally.

    She advised Nigerians to continue to adhere to the safety measures given by the various health authorities to further curb the spread of the virus.

    “A lot is still not known about Omicron because studies are still going on globally about the variant.

    “The only way to keep safe is to continue with the usage of mask, maintain social distancing, wash our hands regularly and avoid crowded areas to stay safe,” she said.