The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Friday, destroyed fake and unwholesome drugs, estimated at over N939 million, in the South-East.

The exercise was carried out at the Anambra State Waste Management dumpsite in Awka.

The director general of NAFDAC, Christianah Adeyeye, who supervised the exercise, said it was a decisive regulatory action aimed at removing unsafe, substandard, falsified, and expired products from the market.

Ms Adeyeye, represented by a director in the agency, South-East, said the products that were destroyed included expired, substandard, and falsified medicines, as well as unregistered pharmaceutical, food, medical equipment, and cosmetic products.

She said the presence of the products in the market was a direct threat to public health, adding that substandard and falsified medicines “can lead to treatment failure, prolonged illness, drug resistance, disability, and death.”

“Today, we are destroying products with a total estimated street value of N939,077,209. These products have been seized through NAFDAC’s routine surveillance, enforcement operations, and intelligence-led interventions across the South-East.

“Some of these products were voluntarily handed over by stakeholders, particularly members of the National Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers in Anambra and Enugu States.

“Unwholesome food products expose consumers to food-borne illnesses and long-term health complications, while unsafe medical devices compromise diagnosis and treatment, putting lives at serious risk,” Ms Adeyeye said.

Ms Adeyeye advised Nigerians to also purchase products from credible sources with NAFDAC registration numbers and report any suspicious products or activities to the agency.

She also warned counterfeiters, illegal importers, unscrupulous manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of substandard and falsified products that “their time is over.”

“Let me state unequivocally that NAFDAC will not tolerate any individual or group that endangers the lives of Nigerians through the manufacture, importation, distribution, or sale of fake, substandard, or expired regulated products.

“This destruction is part of a coordinated national strategy, carried out regularly across the six geopolitical zones of the country. Its objective is clear,” she said.

Ms Adeyeye commended sister agencies, such as the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigerian Army, for their support while asking for more.

Representatives of the police, Federal Road Safety Corps, Department of State Services, army, and the director of pharmaceutical services in Anambra were present to witness the exercise.

(NAN)