An international coalition initiated by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to combat the menace of fake drugs has started to yield fruits. On Monday, September 7, 2009, NAFDAC, the Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China and the Indian High Commission held a joint Press Conference.
The Director General (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii expressed his delight that the Embassy of China and Indian High Commission have joined the Agency in launching a “massive campaign and onslaught against importers of counterfeit drugs and their evil collaborators”. The joint effort was triggered off by the seizure of a container load of fake anti-malarial drugs at Apapa Port in Lagos. Subsequent laboratory analysis confirmed that the drugs were indeed fake products fraudulently mislabeled as made in India while actually manufactured in China.
The Chinese authorities have since arrested six Chinese citizens for manufacturing and exporting fake drugs to Nigeria whilst the manufacturing outfits have been sealed up. The suspects will be prosecuted to the full extent of Chinese Law which has imposed a death penalty on any Chinese citizen convicted of fake drug offences in China.
