ASHENEWS reports the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) has announced plans to test the viability and quality of paracetamol tablets consumed in the country.
NAFDAC stated this in a statement released on Monday.
The agency’s decision follows a media publication that pointed to the possibility that the tablets in Nigeria might be under-dosed.
The statement said that the Director General of the agency, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye has directed that a survey be conducted to sample and test the drugs following the report in the media.
The agency said that samples will be collected from different parts of the country in the right amount and will be tested using well calibrated, and qualified state-of-the-art equipment or instruments.
“As the quality culture of NAFDAC demands, as soon as the Agency became aware of the news, the Director General had meetings with the respective Directors and gave a directive that a survey of the market should be done to sample and test.
“The DG has also met with the leadership of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Group of the Manufacturing Association of Nigeria to inform them of the Agency’s intent,” the statement said.
The statement stressed that it was leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the health of Nigerians is safeguarded through thorough certification of drugs and even food items.
“NAFDAC’s laboratories are ISO 17025-certified every year to ensure that the procedures used for testing are based on international standards and the equipment or instruments used are qualified similarly.
“We do yearly post-marketing surveys of medicines to ensure that the quality and safety are maintained.
“Where there is a deviation from this, i.e., whenever we find any regulated product to be substandard or falsified, NAFDAC regularly issues public alerts or do recalls.”
It added that the agency will inform the public of the outcomes of the test once completed.
