Posted by By Chris Anana, Asaba on
The National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has, in one fell swoop, seized large quantities of pharmaceutical products ingenuously concealed in several packs of baby clothes.
The National Agency For Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has, in one fell swoop, seized large quantities of pharmaceutical products ingenuously concealed in several packs of baby clothes.
According to Mrs Angela Ola-Jimoh of NAFDAC's Public Relations Unit, officers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, intercepted several baggages of the different drugs and packaging materials ingenuously wrapped in several baby T-shirts, shorts and other baby clothings.
She said the concealed pharmaceutical products, which belonged to a yet to be identified Ethiopian Airline passenger, included thermolabile (heat sensitive), products, such as Insulin Soluble Injection, Insulin Zinc Injection, rabies tablets 500mg, Vega (Sildenafil) 100mg tablets, Clotrimazole Vaginal tablets, Robinax Methocarbamol tablets, Duovir tablets (Lamivudine & Zidovudine), Water for Injection and Depo-Medrol as well as packaging materials.
'The cold chain of the thermolabile products had obviously been broken. Once the cold chain of a thermolabile product is broken, the affected drug becomes generally poisonous and dangerous, and at best useless and inefficacious when administered," NAFDAC said.
Reacting to the seizure, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Dora Akunyili wondered why the time and ingenuity exhibited by these criminals in attempting to conceal the drugs could not be diverted to legitimate and unharmful endeavours. In commending the NAFDAC officers at the airport, she also urged them to remain alert and ensure that such criminals do not escape and to liaise effectively with the security agents at the airport to ensure that such dangerous traffickers are apprehended to face the full weight of the law.