THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has decried the effect of fake and counterfeit medicines on the country’s economy.
Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, yesterday at a destruction exercise of seized spurious, expired and unwholesome products in Sagamu, Ogun State, with estimated street value of N327,920, said counterfeiting puts enormous strain on resources of organisations involved in genuine business.
Orhii explained: “Large amount of money deplored to research and development is lost because counterfeiters distribute fake products that are of lesser value than the original. The end-user is also hit by the activity of counterfeiters because they end up having kidney and liver failure, therapeutic failure and possible death as a result of the use of these fake products. The patients lose confidence in healthcare providers, hence they travel abroad for treatment which impacts negatively on our national economy”.
Orhii said the general destruction exercise for fake and substandard products is geared towards preventing the re-introduction of counterfeit, fake, substandard and unwholesome products into circulation.
The NAFDAC boss added: “The products destroyed today are made up of over 50 truckloads of counterfeit drugs, fake and substandard food and cosmetic products from the agency’s warehouse, counterfeit drug products abandoned by smugglers on sighting NAFDAC officers at Murtala Mohammed International Airport and various port of entry nationwide, substandard and spurious products voluntarily handed over by complaint companies, as well as fake and counterfeit pharmaceuticals handed
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NAFDAC destroys fake products in Ogun