In
an effort to curtail abuse of Codeine containing cough syrup, the
federal government has recalled about 2.4 million bottles of codeine
from circulation......
The
move, according to the Ministry of Health, demonstrates the federal
government’s determination to stem the abuse of Codeine containing cough
syrup and other substances across the country.
The
recall, which was effected by the Federal Ministry of Health, was
carried out to withdraw about 2,405,724 bottles of Codeine containing
cough syrup after a recent audit trail of the substance by National
Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The
Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, while receiving the final
report of the stakeholders committee set up by the ministry to address
the worrisome menace, said: “The audit trail and subsequent recall of
the substance, was part of the recommendations submitted by the 22-man
committee drafted from a broad spectrum of the health sector to
collaborate with relevant agencies.’’
He
added that the recall was also part of pharmacy vigilance and renewed
effort to actively monitor drug distribution channels and sanitize the
system.
The
minister said the committee was an offshoot of the press statement by
the ministry on the temporary ban of Codeine production and distribution
and further directive for NAFDAC to convene a committee of stakeholders
to chart the way forward.
The
committee has the following as members: Director General, NAFDAC,
Professor Christianah Adeyeye (Chairman); Chairman, National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Alhaji Muhammad Abdullah; and the Registrar,
Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN).
Others
include Director, Food and Drugs Services (FMOH), Mr. Elijah Mohamed;
President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mr. Moshood Lawal;
Executive Secretary, Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Group of the
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), Dr. Okey Akpa; and
Alhaji Ahmed Yakasai.
The report involved 87 per cent of the manufacturers, 20 out of the 23 of the companies.
All the recalled products have been warehoused in the respective companies accredited by the Federal Ministry of Health.
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