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Tag: NAFDAC

  • NAFDAC launches compendium

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has introduced a new compendium. The compendium shows all companies producing food, drugs, and products that have been registered in the updated document since Nigeria transited from recession.

    The compendium is to guide consumers, in addition to being a veritable source of information and reference material for stakeholders and consumers of NAFDAC regulated products.

    Announcing this at a one-day stakeholders meeting tagged: A date with the Director-General, NAFDA, NAFDAC Director-General Prof Mojisola Adeyeye said it was pleasing to say the agency was in the process of publishing a compendium of registered NAFDAC regulated products which has also been hosted on our website.

    The Meet the DG NAFDA meeting was aimed at providing a platform for discourse and exchange of information, which relates to stakeholders’ expectations from the regulated sector and feedback to the regulator from the stakeholders.

    “The compendium is a veritable source of information and reference and is a collection of all NAFDAC registered companies and products material for all stakeholders and consumers of NAFDAC regulated products,” said Prof Adeyeye.

    She added: “The return of NAFDAC to the ports has restored the agency’s key responsibility of regulating and controlling the import of regulated products. We have restructured our formations at the various ports within the country to improve our services.

    ”Measures are being put in place for electronic submissions and verification of documents to ease import clearance. Common violations observed by importers of regulated products are forgery and incomplete documentation, importation without authorisation, false declaration and concealment, evasion, among others.”

    According to her, the document is a reference material that people can fall back.

    “It ’s almost like a library of the listed companies and products. Somebody using the compendium could easily know the companies and products that were actually registered under NAFDAC,” she said .

    Prof Adeyeye, who also talked on their effort in addressing drug abuse said an embargo has been put on importation of codeine and issuance of permit, surveillance,  and nationwide campaign on drug abuse were being put in place to stop drug abuse in the country.

    She said people expect better things after the 25th anniversary of NAFDAC in the next three weeks,

    Her words: “NAFDAC is not stopping, we are going to increase our inspection nationwide, training of staff and micro and small business operators through engagements such as MSME. We will strengthen our regulatory control and lots more”.

    The Director, Public Affairs, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh stressed the importance of the compendium: “We have several volumes of the compendium. It is to show that Nigeria’s economy is growing and regulated. It is constantly updated; any product not on NAFDAC website shouldn’t be taken seriously”.

    Similarly, he said the compendium will also be available in CD to enable clients and interested persons access information on it from computer systems he said.

  • Canned sardine: NAFDAC warns against consumption of two brands

    The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) on Tuesday alerted general public against consumption of TL Tan Lung and TLC brands of canned sardine.

    The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, gave the warning in Abuja.

    Adeyeye explained that TL Tan Lung and TLC brands were produced by Chinese companies known as Fujian Yongfa Co. Ltd, and Dongshan Dongyi Food Co. Ltd., respectively.

    She said that NAFDAC had been notified that the Malaysian Ministry of Health on April 20, 2018 in Kuala Lumpar Malaysia, recalled the two canned sardine products.

    Read Also: More women abusing drugs to forget disappointments, sorrows – NAFDAC

    Adeyeye said that the products did not comply with the standards set by 1983 Food Act and was recalled due to presence of nematode parasitic worms in the products.

    The director-general also cautioned all importers not to import the affected canned sardines into the country.

    “Anybody in possession of the unwholesome canned sardines should submit them to the nearest NAFDAC Office.

    “Consumers are encouraged to report all adverse events resulting from the use of these products to the nearest NAFDAC office,” she said.

  • NAFDAC set to launch compendium of regulated products

    THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) will launch a new set of compendium of registered drugs, processed food, cosmetics, packaged water, medical devices and chemical at a stakeholders’ consultative meeting in Lagos next week.

    NAFDAC Director of Public Affairs Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, who said this in a statement, added that the compendium, a directory of all registered regulated products, is one of the major achievements of the agency’s Director-General, Prof. Moji Christianah Adeyeye, since her assumption in office nine months ago.

    Jimoh said the NAFDAC compendium, which was originally known as NAFDAC Green pages, was last published about 10 years ago.

    The compendium was first introduced by the late Director – General, Prof. Dora Akunyili, as part of her concerted efforts to equip Nigerians with appropriate information that would help them distinguish between fake and unregistered drugs, processed food and other regulated products.

    Participants at the forthcoming two-day consultative meeting will include farmers, manufacturers, importers, marketers of animal feeds and poultry products, food products, cosmetics, pesticides, medical devices, herbal products and chemicals.

     

     

     

  • NAFDAC seizes expired drugs

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized fake medical devices, cosmetics, expired drugs and empty labels, worth N5.804 million, at Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

    NAFDAC’s man in airport Mr. John Okwori, who briefed reporters yesterday in Enugu, said the fake products included unregistered and unlabelled blood glucose test strips imported from China, to be possibly labelled in Nigeria and sold as imported original brand.

    He said other were herbal skin doctor massage cream for stretch marks, with no NAFDAC number imported also from China.

    Okwori said the agency seized empty PVC cosmetic packaging containers for counterfeiting registered products, and Benchmate PAR-BRO 60 powder in sachets, all from China.

    “NAFDAC warns prospective importers of fake consignments to desist from using Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, as the unit is up and ready to deal with such violators.

    “The NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has directed that action be taken against such imports and violators henceforth,’’ he said.

     

  • NAFDAC seizes 3,300kg of banned frozen vegetables

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized 3,300 kilogrammes of PINGUIN brand of frozen mixed vegetables, it was learnt.

    Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said she was informed on July 11 by Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) that Rapid Alert System on Food and Feed (RASFF) confirmed the compromised food (frozen mixed vegetables) was shipped to Nigeria.

    She said her agency carried out a surveillance and NAFDAC’s FSAN directorate went into action confirming that some of the implicated products arrived Nigeria.

    “Teams despatched to the field found large quantities of the products and placed them on hold. Placing on hold means the item cannot be distributed or sold.

    “The outbreak of Listeriosisin Europe was linked to frozen corn and other frozen mixed vegetables.

    “Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, can be found in food and examples include smoked fish, meat, cheeses (especially soft cheeses) and raw vegetables.

    “Consumption of contaminated food or feed is the main route of transmission to humans and animals. Infection that can lead to death,” Adeyeye said.

    She said the vegetables would be destroyed.

    The director-general advised the public to return frozen vegetables (PINGUIN BRAND) manufactured between August 13, 2016 and June 20, 2018, to the nearest NAFDAC office for destruction.

  • NAFDAC seizes 3,300kg of frozen vegetables – DG

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) said it had seized 3,300kilograme of PINGUIN brand of frozen mixed vegetables across the country.

    The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

    Adeyeye explained that she was informed on July 11 by Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN) that Rapid Alert System on Food and Feed (RASFF) had confirmed that the compromised food (frozen mixed vegetables) was shipped to Nigeria.

    She said that her agency immediately gave a directive for a nation-wide surveillance and NAFDAC’s FSAN directorate went into action and confirmed that some of the implicated products actually arrived Nigeria.

    “Teams dispatched to the field found large quantities of the implicated products and placed them on HOLD. Placing on HOLD means the item cannot be distributed or sold.

    “The outbreak of Listeriosisin Europe was linked to frozen corn and other frozen mixed vegetables.

    “Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis can be found in many foods and examples include smoked fish, meats, cheeses (especially soft cheeses) and raw vegetables.

    “Consumption of contaminated food or feed is the main route of transmission to humans and animals. Infection that can lead to death may also occur through contact with infected animals or people,” she explained.

    Adeyeye stated that those vegetables seized by her agency would be destroyed, pointing out that with this health risks to the Nigerian public had been mitigated while further surveillance was still ongoing.

    The director-general therefore advised the general public to take precautionary measures and return all such frozen vegetables (PINGUIN BRAND) manufactured between Aug. 13, 2016, and June 20, 2018, to the nearest NAFDAC office for destruction.

  • NAFDAC, CHAI rollout guidelines to ensure implementation of MAS

    *Urge support of stakeholders for effective compliance

     

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control {NAFDAC) has presented guidelines to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) Scheme by stakeholders in Nigeria.

    The effort is in partnership with Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

    The guidelines, presented on yesterday at the NAFDAC’s Laboratory in Oshodi, is as a result of concerns of the House of Representatives towards ensuring that the MAS is reactivated and applied to all drugs purchased in the country as well as the mandate on its Committee on

    Health Services to ensure compliance with the resolutions and the commencement of the scheme’s nationwide campaign in order to curb the menace of fake and counterfeit drugs in Nigeria.

    Unveiling the guidelines, the Director General, NAFDAC, Dr Moji Adeyeye said the MAS scheme is one of the anti-counterfeiting strategies to detect substandard and falsified drugs, and medical products imported or manufactured in the country, adding that the guidelines would strengthen the agency’s implementation and enforcement by stakeholders in Nigeria.

    She said although, some challenges were encountered during the process of implementation since the initial take-off eight years ago, which include the absence of formal Memorandum of Understanding with service providers, reporting template and the guidelines for the procurement of the MAS scheme.

    Prof Adeyeye said: “a steering committee was reconstituted to address the issues. The reporting template was developed and circulated to MAS service providers to enhance reporting of its activities, the guidelines, published with the support of CHAI spells out the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, especially Holders of Certificate of Registration, the scheme’s service providers and NAFDAC”.

    She, however, noted that MAS provides a platform to empower over 167 million subscribers on the Niger Mobile (GSM) network to verify the genuineness of antimalarials, antibiotics and other medicines currently on the scheme, calling on the regulatory agency’s stakeholders to use the guidelines to ensure adequate compliance with its provision.

    Representing Country Manager, CHAI, the Programme Manager, Dr Chizoba Fashanu said implementation and regulatory framework of the MAS project, which should have been reviewed for a long time was the problem, adding that the organisation is working with stakeholders to support the development of the guidelines and its structure, in order to reduce Nigeria’s underperformance in drugs.

    “If we don’t get drugs right we expose Nigerians to poor quality and financial hardship. The high cost of drugs impoverished a country,” she said .

    Giving his goodwill message, the National Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists (ACPN) Samuel Adekola said community pharmacists would ensure the MAS scheme is implemented to ensure the promotion of quality drugs in all communities across the nation, “just as we expect NAFDAC to carry everybody along so we all remain on the same page”.

    Managing Director, Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Mrs Stella Okoli said it is gladdening that NAFDAC is being decisive on MAS, after eight years, but, “it is agreed that NAFDAC regulates thoroughly indigenous pharmaceutical companies/manufacturers, so we may not deplore MAS on local drugs/products but on imported ones, which really are the issues.

    This is because NAFDAc is up and doing when it comes to regulating the pharmaceutical compnaies

  • Codeine: Blanket ban can cause loss of 23,000 jobs – union

    Workers in the chemical and non-metallic sector on Thursday appealed to the Federal Government against blanket ban of codeine to save the nation about 23,000 jobs.

    Mr Babatunde Olatunji, the President of the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees (NUCFRLAMPE) made the plea while answering questions from journalists in Lagos.

    Olatunji decried the impact the ban would have on job creation and urged the Federal Government to find a way of controlling the use of codeine rather than an outright ban.

    The nation reports that Federal Government had in May directed the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to stop further issuance of permits for the importation of codeine.

    The Federal Government said that NAFDAC should stop it as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations with immediate effect in response to the gross abuse of codeine usage in the country.

    Olatunji said that the ban on codeine could lead to about 23,000 workers losing their jobs in the industry as many companies manufacturing cough and pain relief drugs could be forced to close down.

    He said that instead of the blanket ban, government should adopt a system in which prescription of the drug would be strictly adhered to.

    According to him, this will prevent closure of many pharmaceutical companies in the country and the attendant job losses.

    “Codeine is an analgesic which is similar to those of morphine but it is much less potent as an analgesic and has only mild sedative effects.

    “It is also used in the treatment of cough, diarrhea as well as other chronic conditions such as arthritis and migraine,’’ he said.

    The labour leader said it was unfortunate that some criminally minded people were using the product as addictive substance.

    “This can lead to downsizing and many of the workers will be thrown into the labour market.

    “This defeats one of the cardinal policies of job creation and job security by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration,’’ he said.

    Olatunji urged government to strengthen health agencies such as NAFDAC, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and Pharmacists Council of Nigeria to ensure strict adherence to prescription of drugs before being sold or administer to any person.

  • NAFDAC nabs kingpin over supply of fake insecticides

    The National Agency for Food and Drug administration and Control ( NAFDAC ) said it arrested a kingpin behind the supply of fake insecticides in Port Harcourt.

    The NAFDAC’s Public Relations Officer, South Zone, Mr Cyril Monye, announced this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

    Monye explained that one Ebuka Ugwuanyi was arrested while 110 cartons of the product worth more than two million naira were recovered.

    He said that the Rivers office of NAFDAC recorded the milestone, after a successful raid and mop up of fake ‘Read A Dream’ insecticide in Port Harcourt.

    According to him, the fake insecticide is a clone of the original but with questionable active ingredients which is foamy and watery.

    Monye said that the original product was imported and registered by CU-BAS INT’L (NIG) LTD.

    “The raid was sequel to a tip off which made NAFDAC officials to swing into action, visiting some part of Port Harcourt metropolis including Mile 1 Market, Diobu.

    “One of the arrested hawkers along Aba Road lead NAFDAC officials to a residential building at No. 38 Iguruta Road, Rumukurushi, Port Harcourt.

    “That was where a major breakthrough was made and 110 cartons of the product, worth more than two million naira were recovered in a two-bedroom apartment.

    He said they were recovered from the last floor of a two-storey building in custody of one Miss Peace Miller.

    He said that the fake product had been evacuated to NAFDAC Zonal office at Woji Road in GRA Phase II, Port Harcourt.

  • NAFDAC to stop influx of unregistered alcohol

    THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has assured consumers of move to put necessary measures in place to control influx of unregistered alcohol drinks in Nigerian markets.

    Its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated this in a statement in Abuja yesterday.

    “Efforts are being made by NAFDAC to control such products by holding back on further registration of alcohol in such packaging,” she said.

    Adeyeye explained that this was part of her submissions at the just concluded 41st session of Codex Alimentarious Commission (CAC) in Rome, Italy.

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) is an intergovernmental body with over 180 members, within the framework of the Joint Food Standards Programme established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    It was to protect the health of consumers and ensuring fair practices in the food trade and promotes coordination of food standards work undertaken by international governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

    “Alcohol is available in sachets in Nigeria and these products are dangerous to children due to ease of accessibility.