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  • NAFDAC inaugurates 73 vehicles to boost efficiency

    By Aderogba George

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has inaugurated 73 new HILUX vehicles, saloon cars and staff buses to enhance operational efficiency.
    This is contained in a statement by the agency’s resident media consultant, Mr Olusayo Akintola, in Abuja on Sunday.
    The statement quoted the agency Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, as saying that the vehicles would address many challenges faced by agency in its operations.
    She said that it would put a stop to the compromising situation where clients brings their vehicles in a ferry to the agency staff or site for inspection.
    According to her, it is not encouraging when staff of the agency depends on their clients to transport them to the factory for inspection.
    She explained that 20 Toyota Camry 2021 brand for some directors were inaugurated in Abuja, while 10 number 60- Seater Coaster and Hummer buses were inaugurated at its Oshodi office complex.
    Adeyeye said that 43 Hilux vans were also inaugurated at the agency’s Investigation and Enforcement Directorate in Apapa to enhance the enforcement, inspection and regulatory activities.
    She said that four Coaster buses and the six Toyota Hiace buses inaugurated in Oshodi would serve as staff buses to make life more comfortable for the workers in their day-to-day commuting to and from office.
    She pointed out that the welfare of staff of the agency was one of priority, adding that the agency staff deserved the best.
    Adeyeye recalled that she met a total debt of N3.2 billion when she resumed as the agency D-G about four years ago, adding that the debt was paid back barely a year after she took over.
    ‘’The money we saved is the money we use for what we need and not what we want, adding that when money are spent on all wants, the nation suffers the consequences.
    ‘’That is why we started saving money despite the fact that I met N3.2 billion debt. And within one year we paid N3.01billion.
    “The agency is going through its World Health Organization (WHO) audit now, and it’s being judged on seven regulatory functions or a group of activities.
    ‘’There is one big area called regulatory inspection. This includes visiting companies to see whether they are compliant with their Good Manufacturing Practices.
    “It is vehicles that will take our staff there, regulatory inspection includes good distribution practice, meaning all the distributors that handle NAFDAC regulated products have to be visited,” she said.
    She added that officials of the Investigation and Enforcement Directorate would also be making use of vehicles to pursue peddlers of contraband goods.
    Adeyeye said that each state needs to have at least three Hilux vehicles, adding that the new vehicles would be used by officials of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Directorate.
    The directorate is saddled with the responsibility of food inspections and others.
    According to her, about 70 per cent of NAFDAC work are field work, and that it is vehicles that they need to use.
    NAN

  • NAFDAC warns against use of Aluminium Phosphide 560TB pesticides

     

    By Aderogba George

    Abuja:   The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned the public of the risk involved in using of Aluminum Phosphide 560TB pesticides.

    The warning is contained in a public alert with No. 009/2022 signed by the Director-General of the agency, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, and issued to newsmen on Monday.

    She said that the warning followed the report of the death of three (3) children as announced by the Zimbabwean authorities, who said the death of the children was as a result of them inhaling the pesticides that had been applied to maize for storage.

    According to Adeyeye, Aluminum Phosphide (AlP) is a cheap, effective and commonly used pesticide.

    It is used as a rodenticides, insecticide and fumigant for stored cereal grains to kill small verminous mammals such as moles and rodents.

    She said that the pesticides is now one of the most common causes of poisoning among agricultural pesticides, and it liberates lethal phosphine gas when it comes in contact either with atmospheric moisture or with hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

    According to her, the pesticides comes in different brand names such as Justoxin, Force Toxin, Phostoxin, Celphos, Multiphos and many more.

    “The possible risk of this liquid chemical to the body is that human toxicity occurs either due to the ingestion of AlP (commonest mode) after exposure and injury from phosphine inhalation (uncommon) or even after absorption through the skin (rare).

    “The signs and symptoms are nonspecific, instantaneous and depend on the dose, route of entry and time lapse since exposure to poison.

    “After inhalation exposure, patients commonly have airway irritation and breathlessness.

    “Other features may include dizziness, easy fatigability, tightness in the chest, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, ataxia, numbness, paraesthesia, tremor, muscle weakness, diplopia and jaundice.

    “In severe inhalation toxicity, the patient may develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), cardiac failure, cardiac arrhythmias, convulsion and coma, and late manifestation of hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity may also occur.

    “NAFDAC implores distributors, retailers, and consumers to exercise caution in the storage, ensure safe and proper handling of the chemical product,’’ Adeyeye said.

    The Director-General also advised members of the public to always read warning labels before purchase.

    “Carefully follow label instruction for proper handling, proper application and proper storage.

    `Ensure use of protective measures when handling pesticides such as wearing impermeable gloves, long pants, and long-sleeve, nose mask and safety glasses.”

    According to the Adeyeye, NAFDAC encourages consumers to report adverse events related to the use of this product to the nearest agency office, or NAFDAC PRASCOR (20543 TOLLS FREE from all networks) or via pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng.

    She added that the public could also report adverse events via the NAFDAC ADR e-Reporting platform available at www.nafdac.gov.ng (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)/Flowerbudnews

  • NAFDAC cautions against infant formula linked to foodborne illness

    By Aderogba George

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cautioned
    the public about certain powdered infant formulas linked to foodborne illness.
    The warning was made in a public alert No. 008/2022, signed by the Director-General of the agency, Mrs Moji Adeyeye in Abuja on Friday.
    Adeyeye stated that the warning was due to the presence of Cronobacter Sakazakii and Salmonella newport bacteria, as notified by Abbott,
    to the agency.
    She added that four consumers in the United States of America had already complained to the appropriate authority about the
    infant illness and were received between September 2021 and December 2021.
    She said that the complain included three reports of Cronobacter sakazakii infections and one Salmonella Newport infection, adding that
    all the four infants affected were hospitalised.
    According to her, Cronobacter may have contributed to death of one of the infants.
    She said that Abbott’s recall of the powdered infant formula, produced at its facility in Sturgis, Michigan MI, spread globally and now
    includes Croatia, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain, and many other countries.
    According to Adeyeye, Food Standards Agency (FSA) is investigating whether three infant illnesses reported recently  in the United Kingdom are connected to the
    recalled  infant formula.
    She said that Cronobacter bacteria could cause severe life-threatening infections (sepsis) or meningitis, adding that the symptoms included poor feeding, irritability, temperature changes, jaundice, grunting breaths and abnormal movement in infants.
    She added that the infection could also lead to bowel damage and might spread through the blood to other parts of the body.
    Adeyeye said Salmonella bacteria causes gastrointestinal illness, fever, might lead to diarrhea and abdominal cramps.
    “Please note that Abbott’s Similac infant formulas registered by NAFDAC are manufactured in South Africa and Republic of Ireland, while the infant formulas were manufactured in Sturgis, Michigan-America,” she noted.
    NAN

  • NAFDAC destroys fake, expired drugs worth N50m in Sokoto

    By Habibu Harisu

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Friday destroyed expired and fake drugs worth N50 million in Sokoto State.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the items were burnt at Kwannawa dump site near old Post Office in Dange-Shuni Local Government Area of the state.

    Mr Adamu Garba, NAFDAC State Coordinator, said the exercise was part of routine efforts by the agency to sanitise the country of counterfeits, expired and other unregulated products from circulation.

    Garba described fake, expired drugs and consumables as the gravest danger to human life.

    “The products being destroyed today are made up of fake/counterfeit drugs, substandard and expired food products, cosmetics and regulated products seized by NAFDAC while some surrendered voluntarily by shop owners.

    “This exercise is in public private partnership with drugs sellers, union members as about 80 per cent of destroyed products were voluntarily surrendered by them,’’ Garba said.

    He explained that the quantum of products being destroyed was a pointer to the fact that the agency is working hard to ensure the safety of the health of Nigerians.

    The state coordinator commended the stakeholders and security agents for their support and assured that the agency would continue to enforce sanctions where there were violations.

    He noted that the agency had embarked on statewide awareness on activities of fake, expired products and urged vendors, producers and consumers to adhere to stipulated regulations.

    Mr Emmanuel Andrew, Assistant Director, Head of Investigation and member of National Taskforce Team of NAFDAC, said the effort was to remove counterfeits, expired and unregistered products from circulation.

    Andrew said that he was in Sokoto to supervise the activity of patent medicine vendors and pharmaceutical stores for cooperating with agency by submitting outlawed products.

    He underscored the importance of collective efforts among stakeholders in the struggle to safeguard people’s health.

    NAN reports that the exercise was attended by NAFDAC Governing Board member, Alhaji Tukur Sarkin Fada Tambuwal and Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, Director, Reaserch and Statistics, Sokoto State Ministry of Environment.

    Others are Alhaji Nasiru Abdu from Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the representative of medicine vendors, Mr Ogbu Batholomew.

    NAN

  • NAFDAC urges Nigerians to steer clear of unregistered drugs, consumables

     

    By Habibu Harisu
    Sokoto:   The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged Nigerians to desist from patronising unregistered drugs and other consumables.

    The Coordinator of the agency in Sokoto State, Mr Garba Adamu, made the call on Thursday during a street sensitisation campaign
    organised in collaboration with Community Development Service (CDS) group of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Sokoto.

    Adamu said that the agency would intensify efforts to safeguard the lives of the people by ensuring that products and services
    complied with stipulated production laws and regulations.

    He explained that surveillance, patrol and inspection were routinely conducted by the agency’s officials at all levels.

    He appealed to Nigerians to cooperate with the agency by ensuring that they patronised only registered drugs and consumables, as well as observe expiry dates at all times.

    Adamu further appealed to the people to always report suspected cases of contamination, adulteration and other counterfeits to nearby NAFDAC offices and authorities for prompt attention.

    The NAFDAC official decried the prevalence of men’s sexual performance enhancing drugs, otherwise known as “manpower” in Nigerian markets.

    According to him, most of such drugs are not registered with NAFDAC, and some of them are smuggled into the country.

    He added that “many men have died using such drugs and their relatives would blame their deaths on some imaginary witches in the village. Some of the producers of these drugs
    would claim they have no side effects.

    “However, majority of these products do not go through the approval process of the agency, but the agency would not relent in going after the peddlers of such dangerous drugs until they were brought to book.”

    He added that the agency adopted multifaceted approach in fighting the preponderance of banned and falsified drugs and consumables in the country.

    He decried the attitude of some people whom he described as “shylocks”, as they follow every means to make quick money at the expense of the health and lives of consumers.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sensitisation and walk shows were conducted along major roads and markets in Sokoto metropolis. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng / Flowerbudnews

  • NAFDAC alerts Nigerians on recall of Alasko brand IQF whole Kernel Corn

    NAFDAC alerts Nigerians on recall of Alasko brand IQF whole Kernel Corn

     

    By Aderogba George

    Abuja:  The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians about the recalling of Canadian Alasko brand IQF Whole Kernel corn due to possible salmonella contamination.

    The alert, with No. 007/2022, signed by the NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye and issued to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, noted that salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis.

    Adeyeye said that the agency was informed about the recall by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

    According to Adeyeye, symptoms of this bacteria are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, loss of appetite, mild fever, weakness and headache.

    She said that the symptoms usually begin six hours to six days after infection and last up to four days to seven days.

    She added that “the possible risk is that food contaminated with salmonella may not look or smell spoilt, but can still make you sick.

    “Young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with weakened immune system may contract serious and sometimes deadly infections as a result of this bacteria.”

    The NAFDAC boss stated that healthy people may experience short-term symptoms such as fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, and that long-term complication may include severe arthritis.

    She urged importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare providers and consumers to exercise caution in the importation, distribution, sale and use of the recalled lots of the Alasko brand IQF Whole Kernel corn.

    She also urged the public in possession of the recalled product to discontinue sale or use and hand over to the nearest NAFDAC office.

    Adeyeye encouraged healthcare professionals, consumers and patients to report adverse events related to the use of the product to the nearest NAFDAC office, or NAFDAC PRASCOR (20543 TOLLS FREE from all networks).

    The public can also report any adverse events via pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng or via the NAFDAC ADR e-Reporting platform available at www.nafdac.gov.ng (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)/Flowerbudnews

  • Codeine: Court grants NAFDAC’s application to vacate subpoena on BBC reporter

    Codeine: Court grants NAFDAC’s application to vacate subpoena on BBC reporter

     

    By Sandra Umeh

    Lagos:  A Federal High Court Lagos, on Wednesday, vacated a subpoena on a journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) following an application by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

    The court vacated the subpoena in the trial of a defendant Chukwunonye Madubuike, following an application by NAFDAC prosecutor, Mr Washington Adume.

    The defendant is charged with dealing in unwholesome products.

    He was re-arraigned on March 14, 2019, before Justice Maureen Onyetenu, on a one-count of selling Emzolyn with codeine cough syrup.

    He had pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail.

    Recall that in 2018, a ban was placed on the production and importation of cough syrup containing codeine after a BBC undercover investigation.

    The BBC investigation “sweet sweet codeine” by a reporter, Mr Adejuwon Soyinka, showed the syrup was sold in the black market to be used by young Nigerians to “get high”.

    A joint probe by the BBC’s investigation unit, Africa Eye, and BBC Pidgin prompted the ban.

    Consequently, NAFDAC arraigned the defendant in 2018 before Justice Babs Kuewumi, who had been transferred to the Ado-Ekiti division of the court .

    The defendant had pleaded not guilty before both Justice Kuewumi and Oneyetenu.

    In 2019, Justice Onyetenu granted issuance of a subpoena to compel the BBC journalist to come and testify in court.

    Meanwhile, lawyers to the BBC reporter had filed a motion, seeking to dismiss the “subpoena duces tecum ad testificandum” ( commanding or ordering a person to appear and bring specified documents or records and to give testimony), issued on Soyinka.

    In the said motion, they had averred that the reporter was entitled to freedom of expression and also had the right not to disclose sources of information used in reports.

    Onyetenu was again transferred out of the Lagos jurisdiction and the defendant was re-arraigned before a new judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko.

    When the case was called on Wednesday, the prosecutor, urged the court to vacate the subpoena issued by the previous judge on the reporter.

    Adume argued that when the case was charged to court, the reporter was invited to come and testify but he refused and proved hostile, in spite of the issuance of a subpoena.

    He urged the court to vacate the said subpoena so as to make progress in the trial.

    The court, consequently, granted the application and vacated the subpoena.

    He adjourned the case until July 13 for continuation of trial.

    In the charge, the defendant was alleged to have committed the offence on April 24, 2018.

    He was alleged to have sold Emzolyn with codeine cough syrup at Sheraton Hotel in Akiti Avenue Lagos, a place not licensed or registered by the appropriate authority.

    The prosecution said that the offence contravened the provisions of sections 2(a) of the Counterfeit and Fake Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, Cap C34, Laws of the Federation, 2004. (NAN)/Flowerbudnews

  • We’ll use new devices to check substandard drugs- NAFDAC D-G

    We’ll use new devices to check substandard drugs- NAFDAC D-G

    By Aderogba George

    Abuja:  Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says the agency has acquired new mechanical devices to further check substandard drugs.

    Adeyeye said this in Abuja on Thursday while fielding questions from newsmen at the unveiling of 73 new vehicles procured to aid the operation of the agency.

    She said that NAFDAC staff members were already working on uploading tools on laptops that would be used as devices to check unwholesome and substandard medicine.

    “This devices cost 57, 000 dollars each and we have 40 of them; it will be used to check the standard even if it is tablet or capsule, it will show whether it is fake or not.

    “It will go further to show the quantity of the medicine, as we plan towards attaining maturity level-four; this is part of what the World Health Organisation (WHO) wants to see that we have put in place.

    “We will also be doing track attrite, another device to track unwholesome medicine and other products, this is highly technical,” she explained.

    The NAFDAC boss added that the agency was doing everything within its power to check for unwholesome medicine.

    On fake drugs, Adeyeye debunked the rumour that 70 per cent of medicines found in Nigeria were fake, saying “this is complete lie from the pit of hell’’.

    She said that if at all there were fake medicines in circulation, it should not be more than 13 to 15 per cent.

    She said that it would take over one year to attain Certification of Maturity grade level-four, as it required the agency to also put many other things in place.

    According to her, the agency has put so many things in shape before the Certification of Maturity grade level-three was recently granted to the agency.

    She said that the agency was working to complete its new vaccine building as part of the criteria to achieve maturity grade level-four certification.

    “Now that Nigeria is a potential vaccine manufacturing country, the WHO expects a lot in term of regulations to enable the country meet up with maturity grade level-four certification,’’ she said.

    On equipment, Adeyeye said that since assuming duty as the director-general, she had procured 143 vehicles to aid the agency’s operation and more would be purchase.

    She expressed the hope that every staff of the agency would work in a conducive environment with adequate equipment to ensure productivity.

    Mr Yusuf Suleiman, Chairman, NAFDAC Board of Trustee said that more offices are under construction to enable the agency move from analogue to digital.

    Suleiman, represented by Dr Yahaya Bolaji, a board member said that the board would ensure the welfare of the staff. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng) /Flowerbudnews

     

  • BREAKING: NAFDAC Can Now Produce Vaccine Locally as it Gets WHO Maturity 3 Certification

    BREAKING: NAFDAC Can Now Produce Vaccine Locally as it Gets WHO Maturity 3 Certification

    By Biola Lawal
    …NAFDAC Can Now Produce Vaccine

    ABUJA – The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as a maturity three regulatory agency.

    ”With this, we (NAFDAC) can manufacture our own vaccines,” DG, Prof. Moji Adeyeye announced happily at a press conference on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Flowerbudnews reports that Prof. Moji Adeyeye disclosed that this major feat made Nigeria the third African country and few globally to attain this status.

    The NAFDAC Boss said that the process of local   vaccine production has started with the construction of a vaccine laboratory in Oshodi, Lagos.

    She said that this feat could have been achieved without the tremendous support of President Muhammadu Buhari who magnanimously gave seven hundred and thirty-six million to equip our laboratories.

    According to her,” When I came on board, 70 to 80 per cent of our laboratories equipment were not working and President Buhari intervened and gave us seven hundred and thirty-six million (736 million) to equip our laboratories.

    ” President Buhari also gave us four billion to buy more equipment and build a vaccine laboratory which is almost completed. it is the tools that earn us this, and I thank President Muhammadu Buhari for his kind gestures.

    “We are already working on Maturity Level four which will enable any products we approved as a regulatory agency to be traded globally.

    Since we don’t produce, the pharmaceutical companies that produce will have a larger market

    ” There is no fear on our side getting certification for maturity four because we have our template and we have been recertified by WHO since 2019, once we get recertified by November this year, we start self-auditing, which is going to keep us on our toes. This has to be sustained because they will be coming every three years”, she said.

    Adeyeye said that the journey of attaining the status all began January 2018, five weeks after her resumption as the director-general of the agency, and that the agency went through a lot of tasks before it could attain maturity level three.

    He said that she got to know about the news at about 1 a.m on Wednesday and she immediately broadcast the news via e-mail to some relevant government personalities.

    “The agency has earlier been told sometime in 2018 that it needed to meet up with 868 recommendations before it can get to maturity level three, and the agency immediately step-up work on the process.

    “WHO Global benchmarking is all about comparing regulatory agencies that work to carry out tasks pertaining to the best health regulatory agency in the world, it is not about comparing ourselves with ourselves but with the best.

    “And, they told us that we need to meet up with 868 recommendations before we can get to maturity level three, it sounded impossible but my directors stood by me all the way,” she said.

    According to her, there is a group of people in NAFDAC, we call them the Global Benchmarking team, and they have sacrificed a lot, they are the one that were marking whichever recommendations we have met.

    “In June 2019, WHO came to NAFDAC physically to start the benchmarking process and out of the 868 recommendations, we were able to make over 600 and we have 147 left up till June 2019, but those 147 that were left were the most difficult ones.

    “We started working at it with retreat, with training because it is all about training, one thing we also did in parallel making sure NAFDAC is built on a quality system is `quality management system’, it was it that got us to the 147 recommendations left in 2019.

    “We continue in that direction, but in July 2021, WHO met us virtually and we were able to reduce the 147 to 33, the 33 were the most difficult, our staff work endless hours, I thank them, may I also use this medium to thank the council for recommending regulations, they work tirelessly,’’ she said.

    Adeyeye said that with 33 tasks of recommendations left, WHO came back in October 2021, and by then the agency was able to clear all the remaining recommendations, and was waiting for it to re-bench mark the agency.

    She said that WHO also came between Feb. 21 and Feb. 25 for re-bench marking the agency, and the information was finally broken to the agency today (Wednesday).

    According to her, global benchmarking requires about eight functions that must be performed to the satisfaction of WHO among which is licensing and inspection.

    She stated that through-out the journey of attaining this present status, the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) was rightly behind the agency because it stood a prime position in ensuring the licensing of pharmaceutical companies before they can start operating.

    She said that without NAFDAC and PCN, Nigeria would be filled with substandard and falsified medicine, adding that PCN did a lot of downstream functions in checking for substandard.

    Adeyeye stated that the agency would work further to ensure it attained level four (4) maturity status, and thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the confidence reposed in her to work for her mother land.

    Mr Yusuf Suleiman, Chairman, NAFDAC Governing Board, also appreciated the impact played by the government, adding that government support had made the agency to strengthen its regulatory capacity.

    He said that the level three maturity status bestowed on Nigeria meant that the country would be recognized worldwide, and that whatever the agency approved as NAFDAC would be certified worldwide.A

    lhaji Yusuf Suleiman also acknowledged the hard work of the DG and staff of NAFDAC.

    “The certification to Maturity level 3 by WHO is an indication that NAFDAC is well functioning and global agency,” Alhaji Suleiman stated.

    “We gave ourselves a target, to cross the last huddle, I made a commitment that the DG see us through maturity level four, once we get to this level, everything we approved will get global acceptability”, the NAFDAC Chairman said. (Flowerbudnews)