The significant role that credible information plays in enlightening and educating the public on the dangers inherent in the purchase and worse still, consumption of fake, adulterated, unwholesome drugs and regulated products which are hazardous to human health cannot be underestimated.
Not assisting the critical issue is the upsurge of the social media phenomenon through which calculated mischief is brewed on daily basis. Some news items have been twisted, falsified and deliberately calculated to undo otherwise noble intentions on the part of government policies, activities and that of its Agencies.
That explains the recent timely and auspicious intervention of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on the clear misinformation of the public that forty two (42) anti-malarial medicines purportedly banned by the European Union are allegedly circulating in the country!
As highlighted by Yetunde Oni, the acting director-general of NAFDAC in Lagos, “the allegedly banned anti-malarial medicines are oral mono-therapies containing single Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) such as: Artesunate as contained in Arinate Tablet, Amodiaquine as contained in Camoquine, Dihydroartemisinin contained in Alaxin Tablet and Pyrimethamine contained in Daraprim Tablet”.
Furthermore, she said with emphasis that: “I wish to state categorically that these anti-malarial mono-therapies are not recommended for treatment of malaria in Nigeria. The recommended anti-malarial medicines for treatment of malaria in Nigeria are ARTEMISININ COMBINATION THERAPIES (ACTs)
What it then means is that the use of Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs) in the treatment of malaria is in line with the guidelines for the treatment of malaria, 3rd edition, World Health Organization 2015, Geneva Switzerland. The Nigeria National Anti-Malarial Treatment Policy, February 2005 supports the use of ARTEMISININ COMBINATION THERAPIES.
What makes the Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine (SP) effective is because it is also a combination anti-malarial medicine recommended by both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Nigeria National Anti-Malarial Treatment Policy for INTERMITTENT PREVENTIVE TREATMENT (IPT) of malaria.
In line with the recommendation of the Nigeria National Anti-Malarial Treatment Policy 2005 and the WHO guidelines for treatment of malaria 2015, NAFDAC stopped registration of anti-malarial monotherapies. The Agency, in collaboration with United States Pharmacopeia (USP) carried out a survey on the quality of anti-malarial medicines in 2015. The report of the survey was presented to stakeholders on 11th August 2015 and it was revealed that 3.6% of the nine hundred (900) samples of anti-malarial medicines procured from six (6) geopolitical zones of the country failed quality test while 96.4% passed.
Throwing more light on the drug, she explained that, “the Anti-malarial mono-therapies in the distribution chain were captured during the survey to enable the Agency mop them from circulation. NAFDAC Zonal coordinators were directed to conduct surveillance and mop up activities. This exercise has been sustained to ensure that the incidence of oral anti-malarial mono-therapies is brought to the barest minimum”.
Good enough, Artemisinin Combination Therapies (ACTs) are currently used in malaria endemic countries like Nigeria. There are no killer anti-malarial medicines in the country.
The public should therefore, be rest assured that contrary to the widespread misinformation about the anti-malaria drugs in circulation NONE constitutes hazard to the health of consumers.
Ayo Oyoze Baje
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