The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control destroyed counterfeit and unregistered pharmaceutical products worth about N2bn in Kaduna State on Thursday. The destruction exercise was conducted at the Gonin Gora dumpsite in Kaduna and involved consignments of fake Pregabalin capsules that were intercepted before entering the Nigerian market. Speaking at the exercise, the Director of Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC, Martins Iluyomade, said the operation demonstrated the agency’s determination to curb the circulation of fake and substandard drugs. The seized Pregabalin capsules were counterfeit products falsely sold as registered medicines approved by the agency, he said.
According to Iluyomade, the products were seized through intelligence sharing and joint operations involving the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nigeria Customs Service, and NAFDAC. He said the counterfeit drugs were imported into the country through the Kano airport. Enforcement officers seized 503 cartons of Pregabalin Capsules IP 300 mg, which is about 11 million doses, within two months,” he said.
Iluyomade also cautioned that counterfeiting had become more sophisticated through the cloning of registered medicines to look like genuine products. The North-West Zonal Director of NAFDAC, Dadi-Mullah Natim, who also spoke, said the agency conducts regular inspections of manufacturing facilities and distribution channels to ensure compliance with safety standards.
He advised Nigerians to obtain their medicines from regulated sources and always get receipts to ensure traceability. NAFDAC has stepped up enforcement operations across the country in recent months as part of efforts to clamp down on the circulation of fake and substandard pharmaceutical products.
