The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has destroyed expired donated medicines and medical consumables valued at about N59 million in Rivers State.
The products were destroyed at the Igwuruta dump site along the Eneka-Igwuruta Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state on Monday.
The Director of NAFDAC, South-South Zone, Chukwuma Oligbu, disclosed this during the destruction exercise, saying the expired products had been imported from the United States through the Nigeria Ports Authority Area 1 Port in Port Harcourt.
According to him, NAFDAC officials, working with the Nigeria Customs Service, intercepted and flagged the products at the port before they could enter circulation.
The destroyed items included antidepressants, anti-ulcer drugs, analgesics, hypertension medicines and other medical consumables. The agency said the products were placed on hold pending their safe destruction.
Oligbu stressed that expired medicines pose significant risks to public health if they re-enter the supply chain, noting that their use could result in misuse, inappropriate administration and other health complications.
He said the exercise demonstrated NAFDAC’s commitment to preventing the distribution of expired, substandard and otherwise unfit medical products in the country.
The agency also urged stakeholders involved in the donation and distribution of medicines to ensure that products entering Nigeria meet required standards of quality, safety and effectiveness.
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