Substandard drugs could worsen ailment – NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says the use of substandard and falsified drugs could lead to progression of the ailment rather than its treatment.

Mr Mohammed Muazu, State Coordinator of NAFDAC in Plateau, said this on Thursday in Jos during the agency’s sensitisation campaign on substandard and falsified medicines.

Muazu said that substandard and falsified medicines were a major threat to health.

According to him, the purchase of substandard drugs was more expensive in the long run, as the medicine lacked the potency and efficacy to treat the ailment.

He said that fake drugs would make the patient spend more until the genuine medicine is purchased.

The state coordinator encouraged people to go for genuine medicines, as substandard and falsified medicines had no potency to tackle the ailment.

He urged members of the public to ensure that they purchased medicines from certified pharmacies and patent medicine vendors.

Muazu also called on members of the public to ensure that the medicines purchased had the NAFDAC registration number, date of manufacture and expiration, manufacturer’s name, full location address, and batch number.

He called on the public to report any medicine purchased without the NAFDAC certification.

“Any drug without the mentioned date markings isn’t meant for public consumption,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Kim Bot, Executive Secretary of the Plateau State Drugs and Medical Commodities Management Agency, and other stakeholders attended the sensitisation campaign.