The National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control and the Kano State Government have jointly
destroyed fake drugs worth N600m.
The fake drugs were impounded by the
state government following a month long crackdown on many illegal and
clandestine pharmaceutical outlets across the state.
Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and the
Director-General, NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, jointly supervised the burning
of more than 10 trailer loads of counterfeit drugs conveyed to the Kano
city dumpsite.
In a statement on Wednesday, the agency
said that among the burnt drugs were hundreds of cartons of counterfeit
Chloroquine, banned Analgin injections and 14 million tablets of
Tramoldine drugs often abused by commercial drivers and motorcyclists
valued at over N135m.
Kwankwaso said his administration had
declared a battle against drug counterfeiters in the state, vowing not
to relax until “those merchants of deaths vacate the state.”
Kwankwaso announced December 31, 2012 as
the final deadline for drug dealers in Sabon-Gari Market in Kano
metropolis to relocate their businesses.
He said the market had been declared
illegal for sale of medicines, insisting drugs must be left to
pharmacists and trained chemists to dispense rather than charlatans.
He said his administration was highly
committed to qualitative healthcare delivery to her citizens and would
therefore strive to protect the integrity and safety of medicine supply
chains in the state.
He lauded Orhii and his management for
the introduction of the cutting-edge technologies such as the TRUSCAN
and the GSM Text Message Service to combat the hydra-headed problem of
drug counterfeiting in the country.
Orhii on his part commended the
exemplary conduct of the Kwankwaso government for her bold initiative in
partnering with the agency to check the menace of fake drugs.
The NAFDAC boss stated that the seizure
of N600m worth of fake drugs in state was a monumental achievement
because of its strategic position as a commercial nerve centre and hub
for the supply of drugs to other states and neighbouring countries.
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