ASHENEWS reports that the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) had alerted Nigerians to the sale of substandard and falsified Asian Ampicillin /Cloxacillin oral suspension drugs.
NAFDAC stated this in a post made on its website on Sunday.
According to NAFDAC, about 2,460 bottles of the drugs were discovered in six shops following intelligence and surveillance by Regulatory Officers in Kano state.
“The Substandard and falsified product has a fake NAFDAC Registration Number (NRN): A4-8255 which is a registration number of another NAFDAC registered product Zarcef-S 1500, a brand of Ceftriaxone Sodium 1g and Sulbactam 500mg injection registered by Shrezar Healthcare Nigeria Limited.
“AMPICILLIN+CLOXACILLIN is composed of two antibiotics, namely: ampicillin and cloxacillin. It is used to treat bacterial infections of the ear, nose, throat, bones, lungs, and post-operative wound infections. It is also used to treat urinary tract infection, meningitis, gonorrhea and infections of the stomach or intestine.”
NAFDAC warned that the illegal marketing of medicines or counterfeit medicines poses a risk to the health of people.
“by not complying with the regulatory provisions, the safety, quality and efficacy of the products are not guaranteed,” NAFDAC said.
The agency therefore directed all its zonal directors and state coordinators to carry out surveillance and mop up the substandard and falsified products within their zones and states.
“Importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare professionals and caregivers are hereby advised to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain to avoid the importation, distribution, sale and use of the substandard and falsified product.
“All medical products must be obtained from authorized/licensed suppliers. The products’ authenticity and physical condition should be carefully checked.
“Healthcare professionals and consumers are advised to report any suspicion of sale of substandard and falsified medicines or medical devices to the nearest NAFDAC office, NAFDAC on 0800-162-3322 or via email: sf.alert@nafdac.gov.ng,” it said.
The agency further encouraged healthcare professionals and patients to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of medicinal products or devices to its nearest office.
