Nasir Imam
29 February 2008
The evil of fake drugs have been described as worse than the combined scourge of malaria, HIV/AIDS and armed robbery put together because they can be prevented or they kill few at a time but fake drugs kill en mass.
Secretary of the FCT Task Force on Counterfeit and Fake Drugs, Hajia Hauwa Kulu Ibrahim, made the disclosure at a public enlightenment campaign by the task force on the danger of sales and use of fake drugs at Jabi motor park, Utako district of Abuja.
Hajia Hauwa described fake drugs as drugs with no or insufficient active ingredients, drugs not registered with NAFDAC, cloned drugs, re-labelled expired drugs, drugs without full name and address of manufacturers, and those with ingredients different from what is stated on the label.
She said faking of drugs is one of the greatest evil of our time and a form of terrorism against public health as well as an act of sabotage which violate the right to life of innocent victims.
The Task Force Secretary cited the reactions associated with the consumption of fake drugs and urged people to protect themselves by refusing to buy from unregistered drug premises and from drug hawkers in buses, markets and on the streets.
Also speaking at the occasion, a member of the task force, Phrm. Bola Yusuf, said that with over 300 registered drug premises in the FCT, residents should not patronize hawkers of fake drugs but should buy drugs that have Nafdac registration number.
He said hawking of drugs in what so ever place is a violation of Decree 25 of 1999 and attracts a penalty of fine and/or imprisonment upon prosecution. "A person who wishes to engage himself in selling drugs has to be licensed to do so by the regulatory authority to do so. Illegal drug shops stock and sell fake and unregistered drugs.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Daily Trust. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
