NAFDAC Seize Fake Malaria Drugs Worth N1.2 Billion for Lagos Raid

NAFDAC don burst one big warehouse for Ilasa-Oshodi area of Lagos State wey dem discover 277 cartons of fake and unregistered malaria drugs, Malamal Forte wey worth pass N1.2 billion. According to wetin NAFDAC talk, di fake medicine come from one Chinese company wey dem call Shanxi Tianyuan Pharmaceuticals Group, and dem package am enter Naija inside container wey dem falsely label as “spare parts”. Di drugs dey hidden inside cartons wey dem label as Diclofenac Potassium 50mg, but when NAFDAC storm di place, na fake malaria medicine dem find. No be only Malamal Forte, NAFDAC don also blow whistle say fake Artemether/Lumefantrine tablets dey circulate under the name Aflotin 20/120. Na di original manufacturer, Ajanta Pharma Limited from Mumbai, India, report say dem see serious difference between di fake one and di correct packaging and design. Dem confirm say di fake Aflotin 20/120 no match di approved packaging or printing wey Ajanta dey use, so that one na clear sign say na falsified product. Original Aflotin 20/120 na drug wey get Artemether 20mg and Lumefantrine 120mg, and na to treat uncomplicated malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum.

NAFDAC don dey raise warning back-to-back on fake and substandard drugs, including fake Oxytocin injections, Postinor2, and many others. Di DG of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, don para about how fake and illegal drugs dey waka enter di country. She talk say di agency, with full support from di Presidency and Federal Ministry of Health, go increase di security on top dem operation to chase away fake and dangerous medicine comot for Naija. She talk say, “We go continue to dey protect di health of Nigerians. No room for smugglers and people wey dey sell poison call am medicine.”

Naija government dey try hard to clean di medicine market. Di fight against counterfeit and expired drugs dey serious, and di wahala for di pharmaceutical supply chain no be small. For March, NAFDAC destroy fake drugs wey worth around N100 billion wey dem seize from Idumota Open Drug Market for Lagos. Dem carry out di operation for Lapite Dumpsite for Ibadan, after one 3-week raid wey result in di arrest of many people, sealing of over 3,000 shops, and movement of 27 trucks full of fake drugs. Just last month, di Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for Federal Operations Unit Zone ‘A’, hand over expired pharmaceutical products worth N3.77 billion to NAFDAC. Di drugs wey dem pack for three trucks include Hyergra, Royal Tablets 225, Codeine Syrup, Tramadol, and Amlodipine. Customs talk say na part of di MoU wey dem sign with NAFDAC to stop dangerous drugs from entering Nigeria dem dey do so.