*Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria’s Minister for Health, says the affected batches of the COVID-19 Vaccines that expired had been withdrawn, and would be destroyed by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) accordingly

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Responding to earlier reports alleging that about a million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine expired November 2021, in Nigeria, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Honourable Minister for Health, has said that the donation of surplus vaccines with expiring shelf life to developing countries has been a matter of international discussion in recent times.

ConsumerConnect reports the Minister for Health in a statement issued Wednesday, December 8, 2021, in Abuja, FCT, further clarified that vaccines that expired had been withdrawn, and will be destroyed accordingly, by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Honourable Minister for Health

The Minister, however, said that the long-term measure to prevent such an incident in the West African country “is for Nigeria to produce its own vaccines, so that vaccines produced have at least 12 months to expire.”

Plan to fast-track local vaccine manufacturing capacity

The Minister also stated: “This is why the Federal Ministry of Health is collaborating with stakeholders to fast-track establishment of indigenous vaccine manufacturing capacity. This is a goal we are pursuing with dedication.”

He also observed that the donation of surplus vaccines with expiring shelf life to especially developing countries has been a matter of international discussion of recent.

According to Ehanire, countries accepted them because they bridged their critical vaccine supply gaps, and of course, “being free, save us scarce foreign exchange procurement cost.”

“Dilemma is not typical to Nigeria, but a situation in which many low-and medium-income countries find themselves.”

He restated that vaccines that expired had been withdrawn, and would be destroyed accordingly, by NAFDAC, a health regulatory agency in te country.