NAFDAC RAIDS FOUR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES EXPOSED IN BBC’S DOCUMENTARY ON CODEINE SYRUP ABUSE

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raided the four pharmaceutical companies exposed in a documentary – Sweet Sweet Codeine, recently released by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

This was made known by the NAFDAC’s Director General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, BBC reports.

The documentary drew attention to the effects of the drug on youths and how some officials of pharmaceutical companies distribute the drug to dealers on the street.

Adeyeye said:

“Our inspection and enforcement teams are in the premises of the four pharmaceutical companies that were shown in the [BBC] video.

“Our officials are there putting things on hold, and everything is being documented. When completed, we will prepare our report and then we will take appropriate action.

“If products that are fake or substandard are discovered, such products will be seized and destroyed.

“These companies that were caught, from our records, have a limited amount of codeine, but from what the documentary showed there is indication that the production is more than the quantity that was approved. So the question can be asked, was there smuggling involved?”

Following the startling revelation in the documentary, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced a ban on the use of codeine as an active agent in the production of cough syrup.

Emzor pharmaceutical company has since suspended the production of Codeine cough syrup.

One of the company’s officials was also seen in the BBC documentary, selling the cough syrup to undercover journalists.

Emzor on Monday, April 30, 2018, issued a statement saying that it has launched a full-scale internal investigation into the breach of the codeine distribution.

The company also said the official in the video has been dismissed, adding that his conduct is illegal and against Emzor’s policy.

The Ministry of Health said that the decision to ban codeine by the Federal Government is not based on a documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).