The Kano State Ministry of Health Task Force Committee on Counterfeit, Fake, Substandard Drugs and Unwholesome Processed Foods has said it seized and destroyed fake and counterfeit drugs worth N6 billion in the last nine years.
The chairman of the committee, Gali Sule, disclosed this during an interactive session on Saturday.
According to him, since the inauguration of the task force in 2012, it has destroyed counterfeit drugs in the state on about 20 different occasions.
He attributed the success to the “hard work and commitment” of its members and other related agencies established to fight the menace.
He said the state’s ranking on the consumption of fake and substandard drugs had dropped from number one to six in a recent rating.
He said: “If you sanitise Kano of fake drugs, you are sanitising many countries in the region of Africa of substandard drugs because countries like Niger, Chad, even Sudan, among others buy their drugs from Kano.
“We have destroyed all the seized drugs, 20 destruction exercises for the seized drugs have been held since 2012, mostly witnessed by the executive governor of the state, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.”
He narrated how, before the inauguration of the committee, the government was spending a lot of money on malaria, yet the sicknesses persisted as a result of fake and counterfeit malaria drugs which were causing drug resistance.
“Drug hawkers in Kano have been drastically reduced. Before, they were everywhere but they are no more; they have relocated to neighbouring states. Just three days ago, we confiscated fake and adulterated antimalarial drugs, which if left undetected would have affected many, especially pregnant women,” he said.
“The logo on the drug is for a partnership programme between Kano state and some international donors on antimalarial drugs. The partnership had terminated three years ago, but these people are still using the logo to manufacture the fake drug.”
He said a site was being built, where all drug marketers, especially wholesalers in Kano would be relocated.
“All the drug regulatory agencies will be there to ensure that fake drugs are not brought in and distributed. Kano governor approved the site and it is almost 80 percent completed,” he added.
