The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NAFDAC

  • ‘Appoint pharmacists as NAFDAC DG’

    ‘Appoint pharmacists as NAFDAC DG’

    To ensure greater efficiency of foods and drug control, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), has urged the Federal Government to appoint pharmacists as Director General of National Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)

    The chairman of ACPN), Dr Albert Kelong Alkali, made the call during a press briefing held on Wednesday at the national secretariat of the body in Lagos.

    He said: “The need to place a pharmacist as NAFDAC’s DG is to ensure   proper measurement of numerous illegal pharmaceutical premises and patient medicine stores scattered all over the 36 states and Abuja .

    “The unprecedented increase in the number of fake and substandard pharmaceutical products all over the country was as a result of the Open Drug Market (ODM) that the regulators are shying away from closing.”

    He urged regulatory agencies to be proactive in the discharge of their duties in other to contain some of the problems facing the pharmaceutical sector.

    “We have regulatory issues to look into because there are two regulatory bodies that shape our practices. The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria and NAFDAC which is empowered to regulate the product while the council regulate the profession.

    “ ACPN urged the federal government to reconstitute the board of the council and the appointment of the new Director General of NAFDAC because the agency is very key to the administration of pharmacists for prevention of unethical practice. Recent happenings in pharmaceutical sector indicate that these two agencies need to redouble their effort to be able up meet up with the proliferation of illegal premises environment and also the preponderance of fake and substandard drugs . ACPN is expecting the new NAFDAC DG to transform the pharmaceutical sector into a multi- trillion naira sector that would create jobs for thousands of Nigerians.

  • NAFDAC yet to mop up substandard tomato paste

    NAFDAC yet to mop up substandard tomato paste

    Over a year ago now, the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control [NAFDAC] conducted a study of tomato paste in retail packs imported from China and came out with a damning report that 91per cent of the analysed samples were substandard and injurious to health.

    Investigation by The Nation revealed that nothing concrete or impactful had been done by the government regulatory agency to mop up the offending tomato from the market and also to stop the importers so as to protect the lives of consumers.

    When The Nation visited the agency’s office at Isolo, Lagos, attempts to speak with a member of staff at the Food Safety Directorate of the Agency were futile.

    However, a source who asked not to be named, said: “No one will tell you anything concerning that issue as it is very sensitive.”

    In a telephone chat with the Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate of the Agency, Mrs. Veronica Ezeh, she said she wasn’t sure about the outcome of the survey.

    One week after with no response from the agency, our correspondent followed up with a telephone and text message to Mrs. Ezeh and the Agency’s Director of Public Relations, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh, but made no headway.

    However, in an internal memo, dated February 2015, from the Food Safety and Applied Nutrition[FSAN] Directorate of NAFDAC and addressed to the ex- Director General of the Agency, Dr. Paul Orhii, titled ‘Update on pilot study/survey of tomato paste in retail packs[tins and sachets] imported from China, distributed and sold in Lagos,’ “after a laboratory analysis of 330 samples of imported tomato paste in the market, a total number of 286 were found unsatisfactory while only 28 were satisfactory and the result of 16 samples still awaiting to be released.”

    According to the memo, signed by the former [FSAN] Director, Mrs. O.N. Mainasara, NAFDAC officials visited 27 markets and four major supermarkets in the three senatorial zones in Lagos and purchased samples for the laboratory analysis.

    Lagos was chosen because of its position as the commercial centre of Nigeria with two major seaports in Apapa, Tincan Island, land borders, air cargo terminals and major markets serving not only Nigeria but West and Central Africa sub region.

    The focus of the study and laboratory analysis was the tomato content. The codex standards and the Nigerian Industrial Standards [NIS] has specified that tomato content be 28 per cent minimum.

    Unfortunately, after the analysis, 91 per cent were found to be unsatisfactory and below both international and Nigerian standards. Only 8.9 per cent were satisfactory.

    NAFDAC should start a nationwide recall and mop up of these brands of tomato paste in retail packs from China already in circulation.

    All other importers would be advised to change manufacturing source until measures are taken to minimise dumping of substandard products from China with the attendant health problems.

    Also amongst others not listed, the memo stated that there would be the need to inform relevant federal ministries, the Nigeria Customs, policy makers, etcetera, of these measures in order to guide the federal government policy on looking inwards to encourage local industries and reduce import bills.

    Now, the question is: What has NAFDAC done to safe guard the health of consumers, since after this research? Like Professor Festus Odusille, a Food Scientist with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital [LUTH] queried, what is the point of a research if the results and recommendations will not be acted upon?

    Addressing newsmen recently in Abuja, Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, described the tomato paste being imported into Nigeria from China as “poisonous’’.

    According to Lokpobiri, China has been dumping their tomato paste into Nigeria which NAFDAC has certified in their laboratory to be poisonous.

    “With Ric-Giko and Dangote tomato paste, Nigeria is now self sufficient in tomato paste production.” But China is now dumping their poisonous tomato paste in Nigerian markets so that Nigerian producers will not make sales.

    Lokpobiri further called on Nigerians to patronise locally made food, describing most of the food items being imported into Nigeria as poisonous.

    While exonerating his ministry from blame on the recurrent flooding of these food items into the Nigerian markets, the minister said all agencies of government in charge of Nigeria’s border must rise up to perform their statutory responsibilities.

    A recent undercover survey revealed that Nigeria’s porous borders is one of the biggest factors challenging the success of Nigeria’s indigenous tomato paste industry.

    Commending the pace setter in the Nigerian tomato industry, Chief Eric Umeofia, the Chief Executive Officer of Erisco Foods Ltd, manufacturer of Ric-Giko tomato, the advertising guru, Chairman of Troyka Group, Biodun Shobanjo, said “I commend Erisco for manufacturing tomato paste locally,” adding that the easiest way for Nigeria to climb up again is to focus on agriculture.

    “We must change our attitude in the sense that those who currently eat foreign rice need to start consuming local rice. This will save us import bills.”

  • NAFDAC central control lab retains accreditation

    NAFDAC central control lab retains accreditation

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control’s (NAFDAC’s) Yaba Central Drug Laboratory in Lagos has retained its accreditation. This followed the  assessment of the laboratory by ANAB ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board of United States.

    The body announced that the management/system of the laboratory conforms to the quality management requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2005 in the following scope- HPLC, Dissolution, UV/VIS Spectroscopy, PH, Loss on Drying (LOD), water determination by Karl Fischer and Uniformity of Dosage Units (UDU).

    NAFDAC’s Acting Director-General Mrs Yetunde Oni said the laboratory would continue to offer  quality analytical testing services to customers to produce reliable and accurate results that meet international  quality standards (ISO/IEC 17025:2005).

    Its Chief Public Relations Officer (NAFDAC), Mrs. Christiana Obiazikwor, in a statement said NAFDAC appreciates the technical and financial support of USP-PQM and USAID in strengthening the quality systems of the laboratory and maintaining ISO/IEC 17025:2005 laboratory accreditation.

    She maintained that the Agency will continue to partner other development partners in implementing, building and sustaining the laboratory quality management system in Central Drug Control Laboratory and other NAFDAC Laboratories.

    Mrs Oni acknowledged the commitment and hard work of all staff of the laboratory whose tireless effort and dedication to duty resulted in the retaining of the laboratory accreditation status.

    In 2014, NAFDAC Central Drug Control Laboratory, which analysis about 80 per cent of medicines for use in the country, in efforts towards WHO Prequalification obtained the ISO 17025 laboratory accreditation.

    For the first time in Africa, two indigenous (NAFDAC) laboratories (the Mycotoxin and the Pesticide Residue laboratories) were accredited by the American Association Laboratory Accreditation (AALA) with ISO 17025 accreditation. This will significantly boost international acceptance of country’s export of value-added food products and foreign exchange earnings. In addition, two other laboratories, Food Compliance and HPLC Laboratories got ISO 17025 accreditation from the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation just as the earlier accredited ones received renewed accreditation.

  • NAFDAC moves to check fake registration codes

    NAFDAC moves to check fake registration codes

    Mrs Roseline Ajayi, the State Coordinator for National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Kwara, said on Monday that the agency would descend on those parading fake NAFDAC codes.

     

    Ajayi stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin.

     

    She said that NAFDAC would carry out periodic checks on imported and locally-manufactured products and urged manufacturers to make their products available for the exercise.

     

    “We know some people are using fake NAFDAC codes but they do not know that we have our codes for different products.

     

    “Through the check, we will be able to fish out those with fake codes.

     

    “We have some imported products around that bear NAFDAC numbers and some local products too which we categorised as sub-standard.

     

    “If the manufacturers know and importers are sure of what they are pushing into the market, they will subject it to NAFDAC scrutiny,’’ she told NAN.

     

    The coordinator, however, said that the problem of sub-standard products was minimal in the state.

     

    “I had the opportunity of interviewing some of our stakeholders and they often times accused us of being too stringent; that our requirements are too many compared to other states.

     

    “What we do is that we take samples of some of their products for test without telling them. So I can boldly say most of these products are measured up to standard.

     

    “To a large extent, Kwara is in good standing when it comes to product standard,’’ the NAFDAC chief said.

     

    Ajayi said that NAFDAC, under her administration, would intensify effort to sensitise the public on the need to patronise only registered products.

     

    She said that NAFDAC was the only agency saddled with the responsibility of assessing external and oral products, while others dealt with utility and household equipment.

     

    “We all work toward one purpose; we have the same aim and goal, there could be areas of overlap but certainly we are all working for the same purpose.

     

    “We scrutinise any product that can have any negative impact on health, whether external or oral,’’ she told NAN.

  • NAFDAC arraigns travel agent for importing fake drugs

    NAFDAC arraigns travel agent for importing fake drugs

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday arraigned a travel agent, Okechukwu Tony Maduegbunam, before a Federal High Court, Lagos over the alleged importation of fake drugs.

    The suspect was arraigned before Justice Abdulazeez Anka on a three-count charge bordering on the alleged offence.

    After the charges were read to him, Maduegbunam pleaded not guilty. As a result, the prosecution counsel, Umar Shamaki, prayed the court to remand him in Prison custody.

    “In view of the plea of the accused, my lord, we ask for a date for trial. We are also asking for a remand order”, Shamaki stated.

    But the defence counsel, Samuel Ejeke, made an oral application for the bail of his client. He said: “My lord, I ask for his bail orally. I was briefed this afternoon by his sister”, he quipped.

    Trial judge, Anka, however, said he is more disposed to written bail application. He advised the defence to take a trial date and file their written bail application. He stated that the accused can bring a motion for bail within the adjourned period, adding that a hearing date would be given to him before the adjourned date.

    He, thereafter, adjourned to May 17 and ordered his remand in Prison custody.

    According to the charge, the accused who lives in No 11 Abibu Oki Street, Lagos Island on or about February 10, 2016 at NAHCO Lagos did import fake drugs, namely: Aquate Anti-itch cream, Aspirin (325g) tablets, Rexall tablets, Naproxen Sodium tablets and Fexofennadine Hydrochloride.

    He was also accused of importing unregistered drugs in the second count, while the third count said he imported expired drugs.

  • NAFDAC seizes N40m drug

    NAFDAC seizes N40m drug

    Operatives of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have sealed some pharmacies and other business outlets in Osogbo and Ilesa in Osun State after confiscating N40million worth of fake, unregistered drugs and other regulated products.

    Some of the pharmacies closed in Osogbo include Akol Pharmaceutical Limited near Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital and Raphabalm Pharmacy at Alekuwodo.

    The agency also sealed Topawo Feeds Services at Alekuwodo and Atlab Farm Products at Okinni, Osogbo for selling unregistered animal feeds.

    The Managing Director was arrested and transferred to Lagos.

    The operatives also raided the popular Orisunbare market where some shops were sealed for selling unwholesome products.

    At Ilesa, Akewusola Chemist and Supermarket was also sealed and drugs and other regulated products worth over N5 million were confiscated.

    Also sealed was a pure water factory, Royal Step Nigeria Limited, for refusing to renew its registration licence since 2007.

  • NAFDAC seals off outlets over expired products in Osun

    NAFDAC seals off outlets over expired products in Osun

    The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) at the weekend sealed off some outlets in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, for allegedly selling expired and unregistered products.

    Affected in the clampdown include pharmacies, animal feed distributors and supermarkets in Osogbo and Ilesa.

    Fake and unregistered drugs confiscated were worth N40 million, it was learnt.

    The Managing Director of Atlab Farm Products, one of the sealed firms, was reportedly arrested and transferred to the Lagos office of the Agency for further interrogation.

    Speaking with reporters after the operation, the Deputy Director, NAFDAC Directorate of Investigation and Enforcement, Mr. Francis Onaniwun, said the raid was aimed at sanitising the market and ensuring that only wholesome products that were approved by NAFDAC are sold to consumers.

     

  • NAFDAC seals shops in Ibadan

    NAFDAC seals shops in Ibadan

    The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) yesterday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, sealed six shops at Agbeni market for selling counterfeit drugs, wines and other goods.

    The Chief Regulatory Officer, Department of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Ake Ayodele Paul, said the agency was in the market to conduct general investigation on drugs, foods and drinks to ensure they are safe for human consumption.

    According to him, shops affected are the ones selling products with obscene pictures, saying because NAFDAC will never register such product.

    Three of the six shops were patent medicine stores, dealing in counterfeit and controlled drugs, two were sealed for selling counterfeit wines and the last one  for selling unregistered vegetable oil.

    Some of the shops sealed were AroBoston Medicine Store, Yah Lateef Medicine Stores, Oland Ventures, Kenyem Wine Store and Kunle Wine Store.

    The NAFDAC boss advised consumers to always check if the products they are buying are registered or not.

  • NAFDAC seals four sachet water companies in Niger

    NAFDAC seals four sachet water companies in Niger

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Niger said that it had sealed four sachet water producing companies in Minna for operating with expired licenses.

    Mr Anikoh Ibrahim, the State Coordinator of NAFDAC, made this known on Thursday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.

    “During our routine inspection yesterday (Wednesday) we sealed four sachet water producing companies for operating with expired licenses.

    “They will now pay some charges for late renewal before they start operations again,’’ he said.

    Ibrahim said that sachet water producers were licensed to operate for a two-year term, while bottled water producers would operate for six-year period before renewal of license.

    The state coordinator said that NAFDAC would not relent in its efforts to sanitise the operation of sachet water producers in the state for the good health of residents.

    ‘’We are aware of some unscrupulous persons that are not licensed by NAFDAC who exploit this hot weather season to produce in commercial quantities for consumption by unsuspecting consumers.

    ‘’Some of them operate with fake NAFDAC registration numbers or by using sachet or bottles of registered producers.

    “We have been going round on our usual surveillance to detect such people,’’ he told NAN.

    Ibrahim said that the agency would meet with licensed table water producers in the state to ensure that unlicensed producers did not infiltrate their business.

    The state coordinator enjoined table water consumers in the state to always check for NAFDAC numbers before consumption.

     

  • Delta: NAFDAC seals seven shops for selling fake wines

    Delta: NAFDAC seals seven shops for selling fake wines

    The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it sealed seven shops at the Asaba Ogbeogonogo Modern market, Delta for selling fake and unregistered wines.

    The Chief Regulatory Officer of NAFDAC, Investigation and Enforcement Directorate, Mr Joseph Idowu made this known in Asaba.

    Idowu said that the team was in Asaba to investigate the alleged sales of fake and unregistered wine at the modern market.

    He said; “we visited about 10 shops and varieties of fake and unregistered drinks were found in seven out of the ten shops. My team has evacuated the fake wines, the seven shops have been sealed and the owners of the sealed shops have been invited to our office tomorrow.

    Continuing: “We are expected to take their statement when they come to our office tomorrow and if there is need for further investigation which most of them claimed that they goods the wines from Onitsha, Anambra, then we have to proceed to Onitsha for further investigation.’’

    Idowu also said that Ndubisi Enterprise was also invited to NAFDAC office for storing   chemicals in a residential apartment.

    He noted that the company had the permit to sell the product but faulted it for storing such chemicals in a residential building.