DIRECTOR General, National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Paul Orhii, has raised alarm on new tactics being adopted by drug counterfeiters to bring in fake drugs and unwholesome products in the country.
Part of the new tactics, the NAFDAC boss disclosed include the involvement of non drug dealers like generator and mobile phone accessories dealers as well as the importation of packaging materials of popular and fast moving drugs such as antibiotics, injectables and anti-malarials with the intention of packaging the fake.
Orhii who was addressing the media on the activities of the agency in line with its mandate to safeguard the health of the citizens said that most of those drugs are brought as unaccompanied cargo and concealed as general commodities which takes extra efforts by operatives of the anti drug agencies to detect.
He however assured that the agency has intensified daily surveillance and monitoring activities to ensure fake, counterfeit, substandard and unwholesome regulated products do not enter into the country at will.
NAFDAC has demonstrated its resilience in the fight against fake and adulterated drugs by securing seven major convictions since his assumption of office as the director general of the agency, Orhii however described the conviction of the manufacturers of “My PIKIN” baby teething powder by a Federal High Court, Lagos as historic and the first in the world.
This he said was because the verdict was delivered in the spirit of the law being proposed by the agency for the confiscation of assets of convicted drug fakers and counterfeiters.
According to him, the agency will press further with a proposal that victims of drug counterfeiters be compensated with portions of the seized assets of convicted drug counterfeiters.
The NAFDAC boss also used the briefing to parade four men arrested in different part of Lagos for various counterfeiting offences that runs into N31 million.
The suspects, who include, Paul Ogbonna, Celestine Eruokwu, Ifeanyi Edeh and Ozoemena Kelvin Odo were arrested for either trying to smuggle packaging materials for Ciprotab 500 tablets, an antibiotic or some pharmaceutical products declared as mobile phones accessories.
They are to be charged to court soon, Orhii assured.
While raising concerns on the importation of donated items especially drug products, Orhii reiterated that donated drugs must have a six months shelf life at the time of arrival in Nigeria for it to be accepted.
According to him, the agency is on top of the situation of the enormous task, as it has deployed cutting edge technology like TRUSCAN, Mass Authentic Service) MAS to help fight the e counterfeit regulated products that still find their way undetected into the country.
Orhii stressed that the ban on importation of medicine through the land borders is till enforced and solicited for the media support to achieve the zero tolerance to fake and unwholesome regulated products which he said is key to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan administration.
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