In a significant operation on Wednesday, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) carried out the destruction of counterfeit and expired goods with a total worth exceeding N500 million in Abuja.
During this exercise, Dr. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC, revealed that some of the goods had been voluntarily surrendered to the agency. She emphasized that this routine process is conducted throughout the nation to maintain product integrity.
Dr. Adeyeye stressed that the primary objective behind the destruction of these products was to prevent their potential re-entry into the supply chain. Among the items annihilated were various pharmaceuticals containing psychoactive and controlled substances, including antibiotics, antihypertensive drugs, antimalarials, herbal snuff, and herbal remedies. Additionally, confiscated products from street vendors were included in this purge.
The list of destroyed items also encompassed food products, such as spaghetti, vegetable oil, and non-alcoholic beverages. Notably, a 40ft container of unregistered Faurecia instant-powdered milk, handed over to NAFDAC by the Nigeria Customs Service, was part of this inventory.
Furthermore, cosmetics like creams, lotions, and pomades, including skin lightening creams seized from spa and beauty centers, along with counterfeit insecticides and medical devices, were also eradicated. The cleanup operation extended to include expired and substandard products that were voluntarily surrendered for destruction by compliant companies, non-governmental organizations, and the Association of Community Pharmacy of Nigeria (ACPN).
According to Dr. Adeyeye, the estimated street value of the destroyed products was assessed at N535,000,657.
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In her statement, she underscored the critical importance of combating drug counterfeiting as an act of economic sabotage and a substantial threat to public health. Under her leadership, NAFDAC has taken proactive measures to engage political leaders, traditional authorities, faith leaders, journalists, and the general public to raise awareness about the dangers of dealing with substandard and falsified medicines.
Dr. Adeyeye concluded by urging everyone to remain vigilant and report any instances of spurious and counterfeit medicines, unwholesome foods, and other regulated products to NAFDAC.
[…] Also Read: NAFDAC destroys Counterfeit, Expired Goods Valued at N500 Million in Abuja […]