By Daniel Ayantoye
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Kwara State chapter has faulted the Senate on the release of list of banned anti-malaria drugs.
Speaking in an interview with Pilot Health yesterday, the state Chairman, Olayiwola Olusina stressed that the listed drugs are no longer in circulation in the country.
Recall that the senate had listed about 42 anti-malaria drugs that have been banned in Europe but are still sold in hospitals and pharmacies in Nigeria.
The lawmakers raised the alarm that all the forty two anti-malaria drugs were still being stockpiled, sold and consumed in the country.
The anti-malaria drugs are: Alaxin 60mg tablet (dihydroartémisinine)B/8; Alaxin oral suspension (dihydroartémisinine) FL/80ml; Amodiaquine 200mg compressed B/1000; Amodiaquine 200mg compressed B/1000; Arinate 100mg tablet (artésunate) B/6; Arinate 50mg tablet (artésunate) B/6; Arsumax 50mg tablet (artésunate) B/12; Artemax 60mg tablet (dihydroartémisinine) B/8; Artémédine 40mg capsule (artemether) B/12; Artémédine 50mg tablet (artemether) B/12; and Artenam 50mg tablet (artemether) B/14.
“Also on the list are Artenam 60mg tablet (artemether) B/8; Artésiane 300mg child powder oral suspension (artemether) FL/38g; Artésunate 100mg compressed B/120; Artésunate 50mg tablet B/120; Artexin 60mg tablet (dihydroartémisinine) B/8; Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/9; Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/25 blisters.”
Others include: Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/55 blisters; Camoquin 200mg tablet (amodiquine) B/24; Camoquin 600 mg tablet (amodiaquine) B/3; Camoquin oral suspension 50mg/ 5ml (amodiaquine) FL/60ml; Cotecxin oral suspension (dihydroartémisinine) FL/80ml; Cotecxin 60mg tablet (dihydroartémisinine) B/8; Daraprim tablet (pyriméthamine) B/30; and Falcinil 50mg tablet (artésunate) B/12.
The chairman said the lawmakers were being mischievous by insisting that the drugs are still being consumed in the country.
“Maybe somebody is trying to discredit NAFDAC, we don’t know but this is about a particular interest. We all know that the drugs listed are no longer in use in Nigeria. I believe there is a foul play and it is not good for Nigerian politics,” he added.
He, however, said that the recommended ACT has been an affective medication for the treatment of malaria.
“In fairness to the government, the cost of ACT has been subsidised and treatment also became cheaper. Before now malaria drugs were within the range of N800 but now you can treat it for as low as N400,” he further explained.
Speaking on the cholera outbreak, he urged government at all levels to intensify effort on environmental sanitation.
According to him, some homes don’t have toilet, urging environmental agencies to live up to expectation by ensuring a healthy environment for human habitation
Meanwhile, the Kwara State chapter of PSN will hold its Pharmacy Week on Wednesday with the theme ‘Quality Health Care in economic recession: role of pharmacist.”
This was contained in a statement made available to Pilot Health yesterday.
