Jumoke Olasunkanmi
The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm regarding the sale of counterfeit Chloroquine Phosphate tablets in Nigeria.
The fake product, was discovered and purchased from a ‘drugstore’ in Jos, Plateau State.
The Agency noted it, poses a significant health risk to consumers.
NAFDAC stated that Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) screening conducted on the tablets revealed that the product contains no active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), rendering it ineffective for its intended use.
It also added that the drugs despite bearing a NAFDAC registration number (04-8769), are not registered by NAFDAC and does not appear in the agency’s database of approved products.
Cautioning that fake tablets may have been distributed across various regions of the country through both legal and illegal channels, NAFDAC has issued a directive to all state offices to conduct surveillance and remove any batches of the product found to be in violation of regulatory standards.
NAFDAC emphasizes the importance of exercising caution and vigilance within the pharmaceutical supply chain to prevent the importation, distribution, sale, and use of falsified or substandard medicinal products. Importers, distributors, retailers, and healthcare providers are urged to obtain all medicinal products from authorized and licensed suppliers, thoroughly verifying their authenticity and physical condition.
Members of the public who possess the counterfeit Chloroquine tablets are advised to immediately cease their sale or use and to surrender their stock to the nearest NAFDAC office for proper disposal.
