The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has destroyed substandard, falsified, expired and unwholesome regulated products valued at over N1.85 billion.

Items destroyed include banned sachet alcohol in small volumes less than 200ml, medicines such as narcotics, antibiotics, antihypertensives, antimalarials, herbal snuff and herbal remedies; also, drugs confiscated from drug hawkers.

Others are unwholesome food products such as counterfeited sachet milk, cosmetics such as creams, lotion, soaps, pomade, including skin lightening creams seized from cosmetics shops, chemicals such as fake insecticides and Medical Devices, expired and unwholesome products voluntarily handed over for destruction by compliant companies, Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Association of Community Pharmacy of Nigeria (ACPN), among others.

Speaking during the exercise, Director -General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, said the products not only threaten the national economy but also the very health and safety of our people.

Adeyeye observed that the proliferation of counterfeit, fake and substandard products is an issue of National Security, adding that the NAFDAC FCT General Destruction Exercise highlights the reason the agency seized and mop-up substandard, falsified, expired and unwholesome regulated products from the supply chain.

She said that the agency is continuously optimising its enforcement strategies to track, seize offending products and prosecute offenders and is working with the Lawmakers to strengthen the NAFDAC ACT to impose much harsher penalties and asset forfeitures on counterfeiters.

The DG noted that the routine exercise executes NAFDAC’s plan to safeguard public health.

She said, “As an agency, we regularly carry out this kind of exercise to permanently remove falsified medical products, substandard foods and illicit cosmetics from the open market and other facilities to prevent these dangerous products from being recycled or sold to unsuspecting Nigerians. These products were seized and voluntarily submitted substandard, falsified medicines and expired and unwholesome regulated products”.

“The estimated street value of the products being destroyed today is N1,855,650,000.00”.

Adeyeye stated that the destruction exercise is a demonstration of NAFDAC’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the public health by overseeing the safe and transparent disposal of these fake products, and this is not just a routine exercise but a clear message to counterfeiters and their syndicate groups that their actions will be severely dealt with stiffer sanctions by the Agency.

She observed that with continuous surveillance, intensified inspections and heightened enforcement raids and collaboration with local and international partners will not find a safe haven in our markets.

Adeyeye stressed that the agency will continue to enforce the regulations governing these products in Nigeria by intensifying inspections, strengthening enforcement, and collaborating with international partners to ensure that counterfeiters find no haven in our economy.

She advised consumers of NAFDAC-regulated products to be watchful of drugs, food and other regulated products they purchase and not hesitate to report any suspicious activities within their environment to the nearest NAFDAC office. (The Guardian)