The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned against the sale and use of substandard cough syrups made in India.
NAFDAC Resident Media Consultant Sayo Akintola, who gave this warning, said the agency did not register the cough syrups, therefore, should not be in circulation.
He stated this after the World Health Organisation on October 5 issued a global alert over four India-made cough syrups linked to the death of 66 children in The Gambia.
The four products are Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup.
WHO alerted that “the stated manufacturer of these products is Maiden Pharmaceuticals Limited (Haryana, India). To date, the stated manufacturer has not provided guarantees to the WHO on the safety and quality of these products.”
Speaking with The PUNCH, Akintola said, “We are alerting members of the public that if they come across it in the market, it is not approved by NAFDAC and people should avoid it.
Responding to whether NAFADAC would raid the drug markets to ensure that the products were not in circulation, Akintola said, “Our pharmacovigilance directorate goes into the market as detectives to ensure that no product that is not approved by NAFDAC is in circulation. That is why we are warning that a certain number of drugs have not been approved by NAFDAC and Nigerians should avoid them.”
Also, the agency issued an alert notice to health care providers and the public stating that all batches of the products should be considered unsafe.
It partly read, “The substandard products in this alert are unsafe and their use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death.
“NAFDAC implores importers, distributors, retailers, and consumers to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain to avoid the importation, distribution, sale, and use of substandard cough syrups. All medical products must be obtained from authorised/licensed suppliers. The products’ authenticity and physical condition should be carefully checked.”
