NAFDAC alerts consumers to ‘dangerous’ herbal products, tackles manufacturers, distributors

*Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of Nigeria’s National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, discloses the health regulator is intensifying crackdown on all illegal manufacturers and distributors of herbal preparations, other unregistered preparations across the country

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In regard to the regulatory agency’s mandate to safeguard the health of Nigerians, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised the alarm over the nationwide proliferation of unapproved herbal products, describing  them as “dangerous” in the West African country.

ConsumerConnect reports Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of NAFDAC, stated this while addressing a press conference on “dangerous”, unapproved herbal products Monday, June 19, 2023, in Abuja, FCT.

Photo collage of some herbal products in circulation in Nigeria

Adeyeye told the reporters that most of the herbal medicines in circulation were in the form of snuff and oral liquids.

According to her, such unapproved herbal products are mainly sold by street hawkers in Nigeria.

The NAFDAC Chief also disclosed that the enforcement team of the health regulator had commenced a nationwide clampdown on the manufacturers and traders who sold such “uncertified” products.

The agency, Adeyeye  said, had also commenced a nationwide mop-up of a substance referred to as “sacra herbs” in circulation.

She further explained: “We have also intensified crackdown on all illegal manufacturers and distributors of herbal preparations and other unregistered preparations with a view to bringing perpetrators to book and minimising the usage of these substances.”

Efforts at ensuring citizens get safe medicines, wholesome foods

Adeyeye, in his address at the briefing, also mentioned some other related enforcement actions that NAFDAC  carried out late 2022.

The Director-General said: “As it relates to the illegal manufacture, importation, advertisements and stay of unregistered herbal drugs, I want to assure Nigerians that NAFDAC is doing everything to ensure that only safe medicines and wholesome food of the right quality are sold to our citizenry.

“We are also making efforts to increase the number of staff that we have, because we need more staff to go on the street for surveillance and post-marketing and monitoring.”