Flowerbud News

Category: General News

  • NAFDAC will improve consultations, robust interaction with stakeholders- DG

    By Oluwakemi Oladipo

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), says it will improve consultations, robust interaction and dialogue with all stakeholders to act as a guide and partner.

    Its Director-General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, made the assertion at a stakeholders’ meeting tagged: “A Date with the Director-General, NAFDAC’’ on Thursday in Lagos.

    Adeyeye said that such meeting would help to increase collaboration with various stakeholders to ensure that the regulator, the regulated and other stakeholders were in line with NAFDAC.

    “The overall aim of this collaboration is for the agency to act as a guide and partner rather than policy they regulated.

    “A Date with the DG’  is expected to provide a platform for discourse and exchange of information, which relates to our expectations from the regulated sector and get feedback.

    “We are committed to regulatory reform and to strengthening our regulatory framework to enhance our efficiency and improve on service delivery.

    “To increase efficiency, we have embraced fully the deployment and use of information technology in our operations.

    “Our website has been revamped to increase transparency and we will continue to strive to build a more robust information technology platform.

    “We have enhanced our communication mode with the use of emails with all staff activating their official NAFDAC emails to ease communication with our stakeholders as well as fostering internal communication,” Adeyeye said.

    She said that NAFDAC was currently re-equipping its laboratories and would be upgraded to ensure we maintain and expand accreditations, which we have attained.

    “In order to ensure effective discharge of our regulatory functions, the agency has developed regulations and guidelines to aid compliance with regulatory provisions.

    “We have recently revised 25 existing regulations and harmonised 65 guidelines. These have been posted and are available on our website.

    “We have adopted a risk-based approach in the inspection of foreign facilities, which is aimed at making inspections, more efficient and targeted at high-risk products and manufacturers.

    “It is critical that we remain in sync with the global landscape and proactive as well as reactive as the case may be.

    “This has been evidenced by the series of alerts issued by the agency in the face of threat as well as the recall of some products in the interest of public health.

    “The agency has remained undaunted in its efforts to reduce the incidence of substandard and falsified products, as well as the smuggling and abuse of various products,” she said.

    According to Adeyeye, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on May 18, 2017 signed the Executive Order 001 on promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment.

    “We have continued to work with the presidential enabling business environment council to deliver on this and improve service delivery to customers in a more transparent and efficient manner.

    “With this in mind, we worked to clear a backlog of 6,000 applications for registration nationwide.,” the director-general said.

    Adeyeye appealed to the industry to support NAFDAC by adhering to the agency’s laws and regulations.

    She said: “They are also encouraged to ensure their operations and activities are in line with NAFDAC’s extant laws and regulations.

    “Companies should ensure that they maintain a robust system, which allows for effective monitoring and control of their products that are already in trade.

    “This is necessary for effective intervention in the event of unexpected product defects, which may necessitate immediate product recall.

    “The agency has noticed with grave concern the trend of ripening of fruits with calcium carbide. This practice should be discouraged, as this is injurious to health.

    “Also, inappropriate use of agrochemicals for preservation and storage of raw food items should be stopped.”

    Adeyeye said that these practices constitute great danger to health and become toxic residues with deleterious long-term health effects.

    “The agency is in the process of publishing a compendium of registered NAFDAC regulated products which has also been hosted on our website.

    “The compendium is a veritable source of information and reference material for all stakeholders and consumers of NAFDAC regulated products,” she said. ( NAN)

  • NAFDAC plans 10-year limit on registration of imported drugs

    By Oluwakemi Oladipo and Omowunmi Alake

    The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it plans to place a 10-year limit on registration of imports on pharmaceutical to encourage local production of drugs.

    The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Christianah Adeyeye said this at a stakeholders’ meeting tagged: “A Date with the Director- General, NAFDAC” on Friday in Lagos.

    The NAFDAC boss said that the Agency would increase its vigilance activities and spot checks to ensure consistent product quality.

     “We have developed relevant guidelines and documents to enhance pharmaco vigilance and post marketing surveillance activities in the country.

    “This has been evidenced by the series of alerts issued by the agency in the face of threats as well as the recall of some products in the interest of public health,” she said.

    Adeyeye said that the agency remained undaunted in its efforts to reduce the incidence of substandard and falsified products as well as the smuggling and abuse of various products.

    She said: “We are doing so many things to address the issue of drug abuse by laying an embargo on importation of codeine through inspections and surveillance.

    “We are planning nationwide campaign on drug abuse, going to secondary schools to talk about the effect of drug abuse which is going to be a yearly campaign.

    Also speaking, Dr Okechukwu Akpa, Chairman, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of  Manufacturers Association of  Nigeria (PMG-MAN), urged government to make the pharmaceutical industry a  priority industry in the country.

    Akpa said that pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria had potential to play a major role in economic development, improve healthcare system, job creation and technological development.

    “We are happy on the 10 years limit on registration of imports because it will help us manufacture more drugs, boost and have more commitment to Nigeria’s economy.

     “Many countries such as India, China and Malasia are into making their drugs amd that is why they growing economically and their health system are good.

    “We are over 180 million in Nigeria and we keep increasing, protecting our local drugs will help us to provide job opportunities for Nigerians, and wellbeing of people,” he said. (NAN)

  • NAFDAC taps cyber space to achieve its mandate – Prof Adeyeye

    By Fortune Abang

    Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), said on Tuesday that the agency would overhaul its cyber space to achieve its operational mandate.

    Adeyeye said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that limited internal communication could hamper the agency’s relationship with stakeholders.

    According to her, although the agency is not currently experiencing cyber space challenges, it envisages that it will in the future, just like other organisations.

    “Any establishment that works on the internet has to be secured; NAFDAC deals with thousands of confidential information of customers, food companies, drug companies and we need to keep them confidential.

    “Internally, we have lots of confidential information that we have to keep to ourselves and also internationally we relate with other regulatory agencies.

    “If we are exchanging information then it becomes very necessary to keep our data secured; so as a regulatory agency, we have to have good cyber security.

    “We deal with a lot of customers and there are some that will forge our certificates and NAFDAC numbers and those are the types of things we need to have control of.

    “Once we have a close system that we can monitor ourselves easily, then such challenges will be reduced and we can achieve our mandate with ease,” Adeyeye said.

    According to him, when the goal is achieved, it will help to strengthen effective communication internally and internationally with other regulatory stakeholders in the drug administration and control sector.

    The director-general said that plans were underway to expand the agency’s web space to create room for video conferencing and relationship with the public to achieve desired goals.

    She said that such plans included upgrade of the agency’s laboratories to improve the standard of testing medicines and foods to meet international best practices.

    NAFDAC operational mandate include to regulate and control importation, exportation, manufacturing, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled water, chemicals and detergents.(NAN)

  • NAFDAC destroys expired drinks in Taraba

     

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDC) has destroyed two hundred and sixty-eight cases of assorted expired drinks in Taraba State.

    Officers of NAFDAC on routine surveillance discovered and seized these expired products from many provision stores and drink shops at Kurmi and Takum towns in Baissa Local Government Area of the State.

    The expired products, which were destroyed, included various brands of soft drinks as well as assorted brands of beer.

    The Agency reiterates that “sales and distribution of expired unwholesome regulated products is a violation of the NAFDAC Act Cap N1 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004. Offenders will be prosecuted.

    The general public is hereby advised to be vigilant and report dealers and marketers involved in sales of expired products to the nearest NAFDAC Office.

     

  • NAFDAC busts Lagos cartel, seizes banned drugs worth N106 Million

    Operatives of the National Agency for Food and Drug, Administration and Control (NAFDAC) have busted a Lagos-based cartel involved in illegal importation of banned and controlled pharmaceutical products, including tramadol.

    NAFDAC Boss, Prof Moji Adeyeye said that the successful operations followed a tip-off and subsequent substantive surveillance on nefarious activities of the group.

    A NAFDAC statement said that the Agency’s  operatives  raided a transit warehouse at Ijora Ororo, Lagos State and discovered 187 cartons of assorted Tramadol (120mg, 200mg and 225mg respectively).

    It also found more than 49 cartons of Diazepam (a controlled drug) concealed amongst household items including but not limited to bicycle, used tyres and printers.

    The seized products, valued at N105,650,000 million, have been evacuated from the transit warehouse for necessary action and further investigation by the Agency.

    Prof. Moji Adeyeye advised Nigerians to be “watchful and not hesitate to report any suspicious activities within their environment to the nearest NAFDAC office,”

    NAFDAC was established to protect the health of Nigerians among other functions.

    Flowerbud News

     

  • NAFDAC seizes controlled drugs worth N105.65m in Lagos

    NAFDAC seizes controlled drugs worth N105.65m in Lagos

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) operatives had raided a Lagos based cartel and seized controlled drugs worth N105.65 million.

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

    Adeyeye explained that NAFDAC carried out substantive surveillance on nefarious activities of a cartel involved in illegal importation of banned and controlled pharmaceutical products.

    She said that at about 1:00a.m on Sept. 14, the operatives raided a transit warehouse at Ijora Ororo, Lagos State and discovered 187 cartons of assorted Tramadol (120mg, 200mg and 225mg respectively.

    She stated that more than 49 cartons of Diazepam (a controlled drug) concealed amongst household items including but not limited to bicycle, used tyres and
    printers were also seized.

    “The seized products, valued at N105.65 million have been evacuated from the transit warehouse for necessary action and further investigation.

    “We are advising the general public to be watchful and should not hesitate to report any suspicious activities within their environment to the nearest NAFDAC office” she said.

  • NAFDAC confiscates unregistered condensed milk, others in Jos

    By Mustapha Sumaila

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) operatives have seized some unregistered condensed milk and expired products in Jos, Plateau.

    The Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, explained that the products were Roch, Tiona, Dembo brands of sweetened condensed milk products in one kilogramme and other expired products being sold openly in the market.

    Adeyeye said in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday that NAFDAC Director for North Central Zone, noticed the unregistered products during her private shopping at the Terminus Market in Jos.

    She stated that officials of the agency raided the Terminus, Yan Doya and Bukuru Motor Park Market for a mop-up, where some unregistered condensed milk were seized from hawkers.

    “Apart from been unregistered, these brands of milk come in 1kg, which once opened for multiple use and stored inappropriately, is prone to contamination hence lead to various health hazards to the public.

    “Other products seized during the exercise include expired 24 cartons of Snap Alcoholic drink, 24 bottles of malta harb, 12 Chivita juice cartons, 150 bottles of Fanta and some Nestle Pure life water,” she said.

    Adeyeye said that hawkers and retailers found with unregistered condensed milk, claimed the products were supplied from Kano markets, adding that the hawkers came from ECOWAS countries like Niger and Togo.

    The NAFDAC boss said that the labelling of the products indicated that they were manufactured in Malaysia.

    The director-general disclosed that retailers and hawkers who violated the agency regulations had been administratively charged while others were issued warning letters.

    The NAFDAC boss cautioned the general public to always check for expiring dates before buying any food products, drugs or drinks. (NAN)

  • Keep off rotten tomatoes to avoid cancer, NAFDAC warns Nigerians

    By Peter Okolie

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday warned Nigerians against the consumption of rotten tomatoes to forestall cancer.

    Mrs Christiana Essenwa, a Deputy Director with the agency, gave the warning in an interview with tNews Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha.

    According to her, rotten tomatoes contain micro organisms that induce cancer.

    She explained that “once tomatoes become rotten, it will have micro organisms, mostly fungi, and fungi in rotten tomatoes produce mycotoxins which are deadly and induce cancer, and cause immune deficiency in man and animals.

    “Mycotoxins are deadly, and can cause all sorts of poisoning in the body,” the director said.

    She said that some research suggested that mycotoxins could also cause kidney damage.

    According to her, some people think that rotten tomatoes which are cheap, can be consumed after washing and heating.

    She, however, stressed that the toxins could not be washed or killed by heating “because mycotoxins are heat-resistant.”

    She, therefore, advised consumers to keep-off rotten tomatoes often sold cheap in the market, saying “it was better to spend money to prolong life than to use such money to buy death.” (NAN)

  • NAFDAC shuts down 6 sachet water factories in Rivers

    By Mustapha Sumaila

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said it has shut down six sachet water factories at Okirika Local Government Area of Rivers for operating in an unhygienic environment.

    The NAFDAC Director of Public Relations Unit, Dr Abubakar Jimoh, confirmed this in a statement in Abuja.

    Jimoh explained that NAFDAC office in Port Harcourt “after a successful raid of illegal sachet water producers in Okirika local government area of the state and the agency was alarmed at the unhygienic environment and had to shut down the six factories visited.

    “What we saw in Okirika is horrible and despicable to say the least; most of the illegal producers, packaged their water directly from the bore hole without any filtration system and with very poor Hygienic Practice.

    “The factories are located in dingy rooms while sachet waters were packed on bare floors, some were located very close to toilets, gutters and kitchens which is against the agency’s rules,” he said.
    “Almost all the outfits are not registrable, they connect water directly from bore holes to water packaging machines.
    “No micro filters, UV water sterilizers and treatment plants; the environment is very bad, the operators are not trained and the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) are not observed; everybody does what he likes,” the statement read in part.
    The spokesperson said that two persons were arrested while others took to their heels on sighting the officials of NAFDAC.
    He disclosed that five generator sets, two water packaging machines, two water treatment machines, films, two standing fans and loosed parts of water packaging machines were confiscated during the exercise.

    Jimoh warned illegal sachet water producers to desist from producing unhygienic and unregistered packaged water that could endanger public health. (NAN)