The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, on Friday, warned patent medicine dealers in Imo State against selling lethal, counterfeit and expired drugs to unsuspecting members of the public.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, issued the warning in Owerri during a sensitisation workshop on pharmacovigilance and drug distribution safety.
The workshop was organised primarily for members of the Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED).
Adeyeye, represented by the South-East Zonal Director of the agency, Dr Festus Ukadike, warned “greedy” operators against prioritising high financial profits over human lives through dangerous drug distribution practices.
“Any unregistered product is fake. If you sell unregistered products, it means you are selling fake products,” she said.
According to her, commercial interests must never justify endangering public health.
She decried sharp practices within the distribution network, including the illegal revalidation of expired shelf dates, label alterations and reliance on “dubious” itinerant suppliers offering deep discounts.
