The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, on Thursday, said the Managing Director of the suspected substandard Deekins Amoxycillin 500mg capsule, Divine Kings Pharmaceutical Limited, Kingsley Ekeanyanwu, is in police custody.
Adeyeye, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Abuja, also noted that the agency is investigating the suspected substandard Deekins capsule, manufactured by Ecomed Pharma Ltd.
“If we see bad actors, we go after them, we shut them down. We inspect their facility. If they don’t meet Good Manufacturing Practices, we shut them down temporarily or permanently, depending on the gravity; we have done that, and we have record.
“For this particular case, the Managing Director of Divine Kings Pharmaceutical is in custody in Lagos,” she said
Adeyeye emphasised that the investigation of the capsule stemmed from reports of serious adverse drug reactions being experienced by patients that took the medication across the country.
NAFDAC had on Wednesday stated that the drug has been recalled due to reports of serious adverse drug reactions associated with this batch.
The NAFDAC boss said, “According to Ecomed Pharma Ltd, reports of serious adverse drug reactions were received from a hospital that reported three cases of serious adverse drug reactions from patients administered with the batch of Deekins Amoxycillin 500mg.
“In the statement obtained from Mr. Kingsley Ekeanyanwu, the Marketing Authorization Holder, capsule, Divine King Pharmaceutical Ltd, stated that all products were manufactured by Ecomed Pharma Ltd.
“The manufacturer Ecomed Pharma Ltd in his statement claimed to have produced only 20 packets of the affected batch number 4C639001 for the purposes of renewal of his registration. He also claimed to have manufactured 1,961 packets, Batch No 4C639002. However, 790 packs of Batch 4C639001 with manufacturing 03/2024 and expiry date 02/2027 were recalled, which he did not manufacture,” Adeyeye stated.
She said that the products have been sampled for laboratory analysis against the suspects, Pharm Ekene Christopher, Ecomed Pharma Ltd and Mr. Kingsley Ekeanyanwu, of Devine Kings Pharmaceutical Ltd.
She noted that the analysis is currently pending determination while the investigation is ongoing.
“Meanwhile, the Quality Control and Production Managers have been invited for further investigation, The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, the agency that issue site license for the site and the Pharmacist in charge has been notified.
“The public is hereby warned to avoid the use of the suspected substandard Deekins Amoxycillin 500mg Capsule. NAFDAC implores distributors, healthcare providers, and patients to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain to avoid distribution, administration, and use of the affected lots of the product. All medical products must be obtained from authorised/licensed suppliers. The products’ authenticity and physical condition should be carefully checked.
“Anyone in possession of the affected lot is advised to immediately discontinue the sale or use and submit stock to the nearest NAFDAC office. If you have used this product, or someone you know, has used it, or suffered any adverse reaction/event after use, are advised to seek immediate medical advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
An alert has been placed against this product on December 3, 2024,” she highlighted.
She advised healthcare professionals and consumers to report any suspicion of substandard and falsified medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office, NAFDAC on 0800-162-3322 or via email: [email protected].
“Similarly, healthcare professionals and patients are also encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of the medicinal product to the nearest NAFDAC office, or through the use of the E-reporting platforms available on the NAFDAC website www.nafdac.gov.ng or via the Med-safety application available for download on android and IOS stores or via e-mail on [email protected].
“Furthermore, note that this notice will be uploaded to the WHO Global Surveillance and Monitoring System,” she added.