THE National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cautioned Nigerians to refrain from the use of dangerous and unregulated herbal preparations sold in public places across the country.
NAFDAC said that it has instituted regulatory measures to ensure that only safe and efficacious medicines, wholesome food, and quality-regulated products are sold and used by Nigerians.
The NAFDAC Director-General, Mojisola Adeyeye, at a news briefing in Abuja on Monday, June 19, called for the support of health practitioners, community leaders, religious leaders, the media, and all stakeholders to continuously enlighten their wards and family members on the perils of patronising quacks and hawkers of medicines.
Explaining that the event was organised to brief the public on the arrest of Salisu Sani, a herbal medicine practitioner, popularly known as Baban Aisha, the NAFDAC chief expressed that Sani was apprehended after the agency received reports on Sacra Herbs oral liquid, popularly called Baban Aisha, following an investigative report.
The report noted that Baban Aisha was manufacturing local herbal medicine with an expired registration licence and illegal advertisement and was selling illegal Sacra Herbs Oral Liquid.
Extensive laboratory analysis of the herbal drug indicated that continuous consumption of the concoction could lead to acute lung, kidney and liver injuries.
The investigation queried how the producer did his initial registration without meeting basic requirements, among other infractions.
It also revealed that the herbal concoction was being produced in a residential building, against the dictates of the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) prescribed by NAFDAC.
Saying that the agency had commenced a nationwide mop-up of the Sacra Herbal in circulation, Adeyeye added that NAFDAC had intensified a crack-down on all illegal manufacturers and distributors of herbal and other unregistered preparations, with a view to bringing the perpetrators to book and minimising the usage of the substance.
According to Adeyeye, “In 2018, the Agency received an application from Sacra Multi-Links Ltd, Layin Alhaji Hamza Mai Bread, Tafa Kagarko LGA, Kaduna State, for the registration of its product Sacra Herbs oral liquid. Following regulatory protocols, the Agency granted listing approval with NAFDAC registration number A7-2590L for the Sacra Herbs oral liquid for the purpose of management of pile and associated pains. The notification of the registration of the product was granted on the 6th September 2018 valid till the 12th September, 2019.
“The company on the 12th August 2020 applied for renewal of its licence. Following regulatory audit of the company’s production facility, compliance directives were issued to them for non-conformers observed in the facility for which the company was expected to correct. The company, however, did not correct the lapses observed, following which the product registration licence was not renewed.
“The agency also did not receive any application for the advertisement of the Sacra herb to warrant the illegal advertisement of the herbal preparation. It is worthy of note that the Sacra herb, which licence expired in 2019, was approved for the management of pile and associated pains, while the company went beyond its bound by prescribing the medicines for unfounded indications such as the treatment of waist pains, typhoid, ulcer, pile, toilet infection etc.”
She said the Commission was able to seize unregulated products made by Baban Aisha from circulation during its mop-up operation.
The seized products included Hajia Ayisha special snuff AK 47, Hajia Ayisha snuff AK 47, Hajia Ayisha Masanda original powerful powder, Hajia Ayisha snuff Nasrullah snuff No. 1 and Hajia Salma special snuff.”
Others are Lufthansa manpower snuff, 99 bullet more power snuff, AK 47 power snuff, Hajia Salma VIP moringa, Forever Journey, Dr Lambo Moringa snuff, Danmilla Kokoo herbal powder, The Desert Warrior and Hajia Salma sundu.
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