The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said on Thursday that it destroyed more than N279.7 million worth of drugs, which were either fake, sub standard, expired or unwholesome.
Dr Paul Orhi, the NAFDAC Director General, said this in a message at the destruction site in Awka, Anambra.
The DG, who was represented by the Director of Enforcement in the agency, Mr Macdonald Garba, said that NAFDAC has adopted various strategies in its war against fake drug peddlers.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN ) reports that the destroyed drugs were impounded from traders in four states of the South- East, excluding Abia.
Orhi said the proliferation of counterfeit drugs had caused loss of confidence in the country’s health care system.
He said the situation had led to treatment failure, development of resistance, prolonged hospital admission and untimely death of many innocent people in the country.
He said that investigation had shown that counterfeiters usually targetted drugs with high volume of use for the treatment of diseases of public interest.
“In combating this menace, we have engaged in sustained public enlightenment in the media and grass roots sensitisation like establishing consumer safety clubs, collaboration with traditional rulers and local government chairmen to address hawking of drugs at the local level.”
Orhi also said the agency had engaged in “improved collaboration with countries like India, China, USA, Ghana, Argentina and international organisations, including INTERPOL, WHO and others.”
The NAFDAC boss said there would be no sacred cows in the fight against counterfeiting of regulated products.
Orhi said the agency would not hesitate to take any action deemed necessary to ensure that the lives of Nigerians were protected.
In his remark, the Anambra Commissioner for Environment, Dr Michael Egbebike, commended NAFDAC for its determination to rid the country of fake drugs.
He also promised that the state government would give the Agency the necessary support. (NAN)