NAFDAC Seizes N30m Re-labelled Expired Drugs In Onitsha

The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has seized 450 cartons of re-labelled expired drugs, worth over N30 million in the commercial city of Onitsha.

The re-labelled expired drugs include Cypron, CeneXcream and Beytucem.

Mr Benson Kine, Director, Onitsha NAFDAC Zonal Office, told newsmen on Monday that the consignments were discovered through intelligence gathering by the agency’s officials.

Kine said that the suspect confessed to buying 900 cartons of the three products, but sold most of them before he was arrested last week.

He said that the drugs were genuine drugs from Orange Drugs Ltd, adding that the suspect had bought and kept them; when they expired in 2009, he decided to re-label and sell them.

“The suspect, Nnamdi Igoeli, had kept 900 cartons of expired drugs, suspected to be genuine products of Orange Drugs Ltd, re-labelled and sold them to the public after they had expired in 2009.

“He then went and produced another cover for them and changed the expiring date, which was 2009 to 2015.

“Our greatest concern is that the suspect has pushed some of the expired drugs into the market before he was arrested,’’ he said.

Kine said that the suspect would be relocated from Fegge Divisional Police Station, Onitsha to the agency’s Enforcement Department in Lagos for further investigation and prosecution, which could lead to his imprisonment.

The Director, however, called on members of the public to clearly watch drugs they buy for super-imposed labelling, or irregular labelling of its manufacturing and expiring dates, as well as their NAFDAC numbers.

Speaking, the suspect said he bought the drugs when they were not expired, adding that the drugs eventually expired in his custody, which made him to store them in his warehouse.

“I bought them from the company in 2009 and when they got expired, I decided to park them in my warehouse before I was arrested. I never intended to push them into the market,’’ he said.