NAFDAC seizes N20m fake drugs from illegal factory

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has seized N20 million worth of fake drugs from an illegal factory in Onitsha, Anambra. 
Mr Benson Kine, Deputy Director of NAFDAC Special Zonal Office, Onitsha disclosed this on Tuesday in Onitsha.

The deputy director said that the illegal factory had been functioning as a family cottage business.

Kine said that the factory, which was discovered following a tip-off from a public-spirited individual, was discovered at a residential duplex located at No 7 Commercial Avenue, Fegge, and Onitsha.

He said the factory was in the heart of the Federal Housing Estate, Fegge

The deputy director said that a combined team of NAFDAC and the police caught one Mrs Chinyere Okolichukwu during the raid on the premises.

She said that her husband owned the house and the business while one Mr Collins Okeke, worked for them.

All of them were arrested during the raid.

The fake drugs and their quantities recovered include: Minadex Tonic and Multi-Vitamin for Children 100 cartons by 12 bottles by 200 milliliters and Merit Liquid Quinine - 17 cartons by 40 bottles by 200 milliliters.

Other are Festdrine (Anti-malaria) - 16 cartons by 100 bottles by 100 milliliters; Glibebenclanide (Anti-malaria) - 37 cartons by 1,000 tablets by 5 milliliters and Geofage 500 (Anti-Diabetic) - 70 cartons by 500 tablets by 500 milliliters.

The equipment included three hot-air-gum machines for shrink wrapping, two cartons sealing machines, improvised vice device for printing numbers and a nylon sealing machines.

Other are: a full keg of eForce Forte, rolls of taper prove nylons, five sack filled empty pack of Merit Quinine and insert label containing fake NAFDAC numbers and manufacturer addresses

Kine said that the husband of the woman had been at large after the enforcement team raided their house and confiscated the fake drugs and the equipment.

``We are yet to get her husband, who, Mrs Chinyere Okolichukwu alleged owns the house and the illegal factory.

The man also undertakes the marketing of the fake drugs and procures materials for their manufacturing.

``From available sales receipt recovered from them; they supply the products to Idumota Market, Lagos; Kano and Maiduguri in Borno.

He said they have been in the business for some years now.

Kine said that the suspects had been transferred to the agency's Investigation Directorate in Lagos for further investigation and prosecution.

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My Pikin Syrup was produced with deadly chemical

THE National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said on Tuesday that investigations showed that Batch No 02008 of ``My Pikin’’ teething syrup was produced with a deadly chemical.

NAFDAC’s Director of Establishment Inspection, Mrs Hauwa Keri, spoke while testifying at a Federal High Court, Lagos, in the case filed by the agency against the owner of Barewa Pharmaceutical Industries, Kola Okunlola.

Okunlola, with two of his employees, Adeyemo Abiodun and Egbele Eromosele, as well as Barewa Pharmaceutical Industries, had been dragged to court in March 2009 on a six-count charge based on the production of the fake teething syrup, which led to the death of some children.

In her testimony at the resumed trial, Keri told the court that the syrup contained a deadly chemical called Dithylene Glycol.

She said that batch number 02008 of the product was contaminated and was produced at the time a school certificate holder employed by the pharmaceutical company purchased a keg of Dithylene Glycol and wrongly labeled it as Prophlene Glycol.

'We also established that the quality control officer of Barewa did not carry out the mandatory identification test for all raw materials before production as required by law.

'Even worse was the discovery that the production manager went ahead to produce batch Number 02008 with only a verbal clearance from the Quality Control Officer,'

she said.

Keri said that she was asked by the then Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Dora Akunyili, to investigate the matter when the Chief Pharmacist of the Ahmadu Bello University, Mr Salisu Ibrahim, called to inform the agency that some children had died after taking the syrup.

'I immediately dispatched a team of investigators who interviewed the chief pharmacist, and brought back remains of the syrup and then sent my officers in Kaduna to buy the teething syrup off the shelf, which was then sent to the laboratory.

She said she also sent staff members to University College Hospital, Ibadan, and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital to get samples of the syrup before proceeding to test the samples.

`The first result from the laboratory had us coming from Abuja to Lagos, to Baruwa Pharmaceutical Industries and made us to take specific action of sealing off the factory,” she said.

Keri also told the court that investigations showed that the children who died after taking the drug had similar symptoms of renal failure which was characterised by their inability to pass urine, resulting in their death.

Counsel to the defendants, Mr Osaro Eghobamien, asked the court to order the witness to furnish him with results of the laboratory test to enable him to conduct his cross-examination.

Justice Okechukwu Okeke granted his prayer and adjourned the case to Feb. 16 for continuation of the hearing.

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8,679 sachet water factories operate without NAFDAC certification

Over 8,679 water-producing factories in the country are yet to be registered and certified by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC.

Director-General of the agency, Dr. Paul Orhii, who disclosed this at a one-day sensitisation workshop for packaged water producers in Abuja, yesterday, said the agency has concluded plans to carry out a re-certification of all packaged water factories, irrespective of registration status.

Dr. Orhii explained that the exercise was necessary for the purpose of capturing biometric data of all clients and stakeholders of products regulated by NAFDAC as a means of building strong data base to ease regulation.

He said: “NAFDAC has measures in place to ensure the quality of packaged water through the process of good manufacturing practice inspection, laboratory analysis and finally, registration of the product.

“In essence, before a product is approved for registration, it must have satisfied a number of conditions for quality and wholesomeness, which must be maintained throughout the shelf-life.

“Sanctions have been applied to all identified cases, including prosecution.”

Director, Establishment Inspection, Mrs Hauwa Keri, said NAFDAC was determined to ensure availability of safe-drinking water to check water borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and other life-threatening conditions.

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FG Sacks NAFDAC, NDLEA, Others From Seaports

As part of efforts to make the seaports efficient, cheaper and more userfriendly, the Federal Government has announced the sack of some government agencies comprising of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and Standards Organisation of Nigeria from the nation’s seaports.

Also affected in the shake-up, which reduced government agencies operating at the seaports from 14 to about six are Directorate of Naval Intelligence, Nigerian Plant Quarantine Services, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

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