For decades, Nigeria has faced an overwhelming counterfeit drug problem. Evidence shows that a study by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Nigeria (NAFDAC) in 2002 found that nearly 41% of pharmaceuticals in the country were counterfeit, and 70% were unregistered. Drug peddlers in the country sell inexpensive drugs to citizens who can not afford proper treatment.
Nigerian health experts are worried over the influx of fake and substandard drugs into the country, which they complain is endangering the public’s health.
Dr Dora Akunyili, director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, said “When people are taking fake or substandard antihypertension drugs, their blood pressure will continue to rise because what they are taking is rubbish until they go down with stroke or even die,” she said. “Some of these fake drugs contain nothing. Some of them contain chalk, milk in capsules, and some of them contain little of the active ingredients.
In a statement released by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, the spokesperson for the ministry.
Mr Ogunbanwo said in the statement that affected pharmacies and patent medicine stores were shut for contravening regulations guiding the operations of pharmacies and patent medicine stores, including indulging in illegal practices and failing to comply with regulatory standard.
He said the enforcement and compliance raid was a joint operation by the Task force on Counterfeit, Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods, the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Federal Taskforce on fake drugs and the Police Officers from Environmental and Special Offences Unit (Task Force) of Lagos Police Command.
According to the Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, the affected pharmacies and patent medicine shops were sealed for offences including “inappropriate storage conditions of drugs, absence of licensed pharmacists during business hours, selling of drugs not on the approved list and the display of expired drugs for sale.”
The pharmacies affected are located at Shomolu, Bariga and Oworonshoki areas of the State.
Mr Abayomi said the operation of the taskforce was in continuation of the war being waged against fake drugs and illegal drug shops in the state.
Similarly, the ministry in February shut 16 unregistered pharmacies and patent medicine stores in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state for unethical practices.
The ministry assured that it will continue enforcement operations to ensure sanity in the pharmaceutical value chain in the state.
INTERVIEW QUESTION
Interviewer:Hi my name is Abdulkareem khadijah,a student of Cresent university mass communication.I would love you ask you a question.
Have you taken fake drugs before and what is your experience on fake drug?
Jamaldeen: Yes I have taken fake drugs before.
“I had malaria and I went to the pharmacy to get malaria drugs,only for me to use it and I was more sick than I was before getting the malaria drugs.I started purging with migraine,I was quick to go to the hospital and the doctor asked me the drugs I used and of which I showed me and only then I realized the drugs I bought was fake.”
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