Drug control agency seal pharmacy in Ogun

Momodu-Segiru Momodu, director NAFDAC displaying some of the fake drugs.

Officials of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital closed a popular pharmacy over alleged sale of counterfeit drugs. Patent Medicine Stores in the town and several adultrated drugs impounded.

The NAFDAC officials carried out the operations during an unannounced random check on a number of pharmacies and patent medicine stores across the state. On the spot investigations were carried out on drugs with the use of a machine called Truscan which reveals the authenticity of tested drugs.

Drugs found to be fake were immediately withdrawn from the shelves by the investigators, who also ordered the proprietors to report at the NAFDAC office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta for further investigation to reveal sources of such drugs.

Cracking down

At a press conference he addressed after the operations, NAFDAC's Director, Ports Inspection Directorate, Momodu-Segiru Momodu disclosed that in the course of the operations, the Janiez Pharmacy Store located in Adatan area of the town was closed down.

"Janiez Pharmacy Stores located at Adatan area has been ordered shut, because we found a number of fake and expired drugs there. We have equally asked the owner and the pharmacist in charge of the place to report to our office," Mr Momodu said.

He lamented that in spite of intensified campaign by the authorities, some people still find pleasure in dealing in fake and adulterated drugs.

"The agency would not fold its arm and see the unscrupulous elements killing innocent people as a result of fake drugs," he said.

Mr Momodu listed some of the seized drugs to include fake copies of Fulcin, Gtrotas, Fansidar, Artesunate, Augumentin, Zinnet, Maloxine, Ampiclox and Lonart DS, among others.

"It is sad that some of these stores even sell the drugs as if they are groundnuts," he said.

Officials of the drugs agency this week launched a nationwide campaign to verify the authenticity of drugs being sold by pharmacies and patent medicine stores.

Source:234next.com