NAFDAC warns of fake Covid vaccines in circulation

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cautioned Nigerians to be careful of the circulation of fake coronavirus vaccines in the nation.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, raised the alarm in the statement issued by the Resident Media Consultant of the agency, Sayo Akintola.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye

Adeyeye advised Nigerians to “refrain from procuring the vaccine online to avoid falling into the wrong hands of merchants of death.”

“The public must be on the lookout for these spurious and counterfeit vaccines and other regulated products” she cautioned.

The DG of NAFDAC also advised Nigerians to be watchful and reveal anyone who might want to divert COVID-19 vaccines donated by global donors for profiteering.

Nigeria, on March 2, obtained 3.94 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, shipped through COVAX Facility and has since inaugurated the vaccination programme in the nation.

The arrival of the vaccines denoted a historic step towards the objective to guarantee impartial distribution of COVID-19 vaccines worldwide.

Adeyeye disclosed that the Astrazeneca vaccine recently initiated and dispersed to states to treat COVID-19 has no side effect.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was established to checkmate illicit and counterfeit products in Nigeria in 1993 under the country’s health and safety law.

The organisation is a federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and packaged water in Nigeria.

The goal of NAFDAC is to eliminate counterfeit pharmaceuticals, foods and beverage products that are not manufactured in Nigeria and ensure that available medications are safe and effective.

The formation of NAFDAC was inspired by a 1988 World Health Assembly resolution requesting countries’ help in combating the global health threat posed by counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

The Director-General of NAFDAC is Professor Mojisola Adeyeye. She was appointed on the 3rd of November 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari.