90% Patent Drugs In PH, Fake …NAFDAC Raises Alarm

Speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Tyonye Harry (left) discussing with chairman, House Committee on Local Governments, Hon Ikuinyi Ibani (right) and House Leader, Hon Chidi Lloyd during the debate on non-payment of entitlements to former political office holders in LGAs of the state, on Monday. Photo: Chris Monyanaga

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has confirmed that over 90 per cent of the pharmaceutical and patent medicine stores in Port Harcourt sell fake drugs to members of the public.

This followed a mechanical test carried out Monday on drugs in circulation in the metropolis by the Port Inspectorate Directorate (PID) of the agency in  Port Harcourt.

Mr Momodu Segiru, Director of Port Inspectorate Directorate who led the exercise said the test was part of the agency’s nationwide sensitization campaign to ascertain the level of fake and substandard drugs in circulation with the aim of mopping up dangerous drugs and identifying their sources.

The director said the exercise was also to demonstrate the use of the truscan equipment for on the spot testing of drugs, noting that the truscan machine has brought some speed and accuracy in the agency’s work.

He disclosed that massive failure was recorded in Choba, Mile One and some other areas of Port Harcourt.

Our reporter who monitored the exercise said all the drug stores tested in Rumukwurusi and Woji areas of Port Harcourt recorded failure in one drug or the other, an obvious indication that very limited wholesome drugs are in circulation in Port Harcourt.

The Tide gathered that the team moves from state to state and has been collating data on the state of drugs in circulation as part of its routine exercise  to free the nation of fake drugs.

Commenting on the agency’s coverage of the local government areas, Mr Segiru said the agency solicited for cooperation of the 774 local government chairmen in the nation, stressing that soon it would move into the grassroots.

He advised patent medicine dealers to stop selling drugs without NAFDAC registration as they have 99 per cent chances of being fake.

Most of the drug stores where fake drugs were discovered linked the situation to the manufacturers and wholesalers of drugs where they purchased them.

The agency officials confiscated the bad drugs and issued letters of invitation to the owners of the stores and directed them to meet with them at the Federal Secretariat office of NAFDAC.

The sanction or penalty to the operators of the questionable drug stores were not clear as it appeared more questioning and data collection processes may follow.

While some drug stores operators were happy and co-operative with officials of the agency, some were hostile and others who got information of the exercise locked up their stores and disappeared, thereby denying NAFDAC the opportunity of carrying out the test on their drugs.