The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a disturbing trend of codeine syrups and HIV drugs being diverted from their intended recipients.
This revelation comes amid the agency’s intensified crackdown on the distribution of counterfeit and expired drugs.
Following the recent sealing of over 3,000 shops in Idumota, Lagos, NAFDAC has discovered two additional massive warehouses stocked with fake and expired medicines in Aba. Similar truckloads of counterfeit drugs were also intercepted in Idumota and Onitsha.
In a statement released on Monday, the agency reaffirmed its commitment to eradicating illicit drug distribution, warning that those involved in the trade will face legal consequences.
Items discovered were vaccines in dilapidated, unventilated rooms sealed with iron sheets in a filthy environment. Others were banned products like large consignment of Analgin injections, diverted free HIV and antiretroviral drugs, expired drugs kept for revalidation, and unregistered drugs among others.
The agency was able to evacuate illicit pharmaceuticals of the equivalent of 12 trucks. Furthermore, empty packs of cartons of expired unregistered antimalarial injections were discovered inside a packing shop with the vials removed.
Various brands of Codeine Cough Syrup and Tramadol 225 were discovered in a warehouse within the market, away from the pharmaceutical section where other products are sold. Last week, the Agency uncovered a major operation depot dealing in expired and falsified drugs at Umumeje village, Osisioma Ngwa area of Abia State where the illegal operation was being run from multiple buildings near the Ariaria International Market.
The expired medicines were repackaged and revalidated for resale, posing a significant health risk to consumers.
Seized items included expired potassium chloride, allergy medications, immune boosters, and cholesterol treatments. Machines used to rebrand and alter expiry dates were also discovered on-site.
The depot was discovered when NAFDAC operatives raided the facility in collaboration with a joint security team as part of the Agency’s intensified crackdown on counterfeit medicines which commenced on Monday.
During the raid, some individuals were arrested, but the prime suspect remains at large. Despite efforts to reach him, he showed no concern for his detained family members.
Later in the week, the NAFDAC enforcement officers and security forces from NSA uncovered another drugs depot at 269 Faulks Road, Aba. During the raids, NAFDAC operatives discovered machines used to rebrand and alter the expiry dates of medications, along with a large quantity of repackaged containers and fraudulent packaging materials.