The Federal Ministry of Health has banned the production and importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations to check substance abuse among Nigerians.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, made the decision known in a statement issued by Mr Olajide Oshundun, Assistant Director of Information in the ministry, in Abuja on Tuesday.
The ban came as Aisha Buhari, wife of the president expressed concern about the addiction rate to the drug, especially in northern Nigeria.
On her Instagram page, she asked for action from the authorities.
“I call on all security agencies, lawmakers, judiciary, drug manufacturers, civil society, regulators, teachers, parents, neighbours and you to take this as a personal war and halt the menace,” she added.
Aisha said on her Instagram account that her NGO, Future Assured has also recently launched a campaign against substance abuse.
“Simultaneously, the wives of Northern Governors are working tirelessly on the issue. They have recently renovated and commissioned a rehab centre in Kogi and Kebbi state, while similar efforts are ongoing in other states”.
Her intervention may have spurred government intervention, especially as it coincided with revelations that a pharmaceutical company in Lagos sold 60 bottles of the syrup to an undercover reporter in one fell swoop.
The company, Emzor Pharmaceuticals has sacked the sales executive, while it said it has also shut down the production of the codeine based cough syrup.
In the statement issued today, the minister of health directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to ban the issuance of permits for the importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations.
He also directed the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, (PCN) and NAFDAC to supervise the recall for labelling and audit trailing of all codeine containing cough syrups nationwide.
Adewole said government had also banned the sale of codeine containing cough syrup without prescription.
He said the directive became necessary due to the gross abuse of codeine in the country.
It is estimated that as many as three million bottles of codeine syrup are drunk every single day in just two states, Kano and Jigawa.
NAN
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
