The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced that its officials and a policeman were attacked at the weekend.
A statement on its website said sequel to credible intelligence about drug counterfeiters operating at the Head Bridge Drug Market Onitsha, the agency embarked on a raid of a warehouse involved in concealment and storage of substandard and falsified medical products.
“The Contingent of NAFDAC officials and Police officers were attacked and pelted with stones, bottles, packaged water and plumbing items by a mob under the watch of the executive members of the Plumbing Material Market Association Head Bridge Onitsha”, it said.
However, the NAFDAC team were able to evacuate limited quantity of the counterfeit Anti-malaria, Antibiotics, Sildenafil Citrate, including Tetanus Toxoid stored in a warehouse with temperature of over 40°C.
NAFDAC said the temperature would have damaged the drug and subjected the person that will receive it to danger that could result in death.
“Similarly, other drugs stored at this high temperature will compromise the health of the population and result in fatalities. Counterfeiting of drugs subjects the population to treatment failure and early death.
“Members of the families of the counterfeiters are included in the population, that is, no one is exempted from the consequences of substandard, falsified and counterfeited medicines.
“Therefore, protect your family from dangers of falsified medicines by reporting any suspicion of fake medicines to 0800-1NAFDAC (0800 162 3322) or to the nearest NAFDAC office to you,” the statement added.
