Minna – The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Niger on Thursday handed over 195 cartons of fake cough syrups to NAFDAC.
Mr Joseph Iweajunwa, the State Commander of the agency, handed over the drug (stop cough with codean) to the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control in Minna.
He said that the drug was seized from a truck at Kontagora on its way to Sokoto last month, adding that there are 60 bottles of 100 ml per carton of the seized drugs.
Iweajunwa said that the seal on the cartons containing the drugs indicated that it was produced by JESIL Pharmaceutical industries in Minna.
He, however, disclosed that laboratory test showed that the drugs were fake and not the product of the industry.
“Since the analysis proofed that it was fake drugs and not a product of the company we decided to hand it over to the appropriate agency.
“With the collaboration of our office in Onitsha, we were able to discover the distributor of the JESIL products who manufactured this fake drug,’’ he said.
Receiving the drugs, Mr Anikoh Ibrahim, the NAFDAC State Coordinator, said that the agency traced the fake distributor of the drugs to Onitsha.
Ibrahim said that JESIL company has since handed over the certificate of laboratory analysis of the drug to NAFDAC for further investigation and necessary action. (NAN)