The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued public alerts, warning Nigerians against the use of a popular bar of soap and some pharmaceutical products.
The NAFDAC warning follows separate alerts issued by countries where the products were manufactured.
The agency, which issued the warning via new posts on its X account on Monday, said the soap product was found to contain chemicals that could harm human reproductive organs and fetuses, and cause “skin sensitization.”
The products affected, according to NAFDAC, are Dove Beauty Cream bar soap manufactured in Germany and some unregistered medicines originating in the Philippines.
However, Newslodgecould not independently confirm whether all the products are in the Nigerian market.
About Dove soap
With public alert number 035/2024, NAFDAC said the soap allegedly contains butylphenylmethylpropional (BMHCA) content.
According to NAFDAC, the affected Dove soap is produced in Germany under batch number 81832M 08 and has been recalled by German authorities due to chemical impurities.
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“The product does not comply with the Cosmetic Products Regulation as it is said to contain butylphenylmethylpropional (BMHCA), which is banned in cosmetic products due to its risk of harming the reproductive system, causing harm to the health of the fetus and may cause skin sensitization. As a result, some EU regulatory and public authorities have banned the marketing of the product,” the agency said in a statement that had previously been posted on its website on August 30 and republished on X on Monday.
NAFDAC provided the product details as “Dove Beauty Cream Bar Soap” with the product brand name as “Dove” and the country of manufacture as Germany with “Barcode Number 8000700000005” and categorized as “Cosmetics”.
Meanwhile, NAFDAC also listed other Dove products that have been recalled in other countries and warned Nigerians against using them.
Unregistered pharmaceutical products
In its Monday release, NAFDAC also listed 13 pharmaceutical products already flagged by authorities in the Philippines, warning importers, distributors and traders not to bring them into Nigeria, while advising consumers to be wary of them.
The press release which was republished on Monday by NAFDAC had been earlier issued by the agency on August 22.
He noted that the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had warned against the purchase and use of unregistered drugs.
The agency listed the affected products as Niaosu Ruangao, Compound Bismuth Subnitrate Tablets, Cimetidine Injection 2ml:0.2g Ampoule, Over-the-Counter Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide Syrups, Jingxin Pharmaceutical Roxithromycin Capsules 0.15g, Lean Slim Appetite Suppressant Strong Capsules 30Count, Lean Slim Appetite Suppressant Soft Capsules 30Count, and Dianne®-35 Cyproterone Acetate 2.00mg/Ethinyl Estradiol Sugar Coated Tablet 0.035mg.
Others are Androcur® Siproteron asetat 50 mg Tablet, Androcur TM (cyproterone acetate) 50 mg Tablet, Testoviron Depot (testosterone enanthate) 250 mg, 1 ml ampoule, Climen® Estradiol valerat/Siproteron asetat 2mg+2mg/1mg Tablet Kapli , and Elleacnelle® Siproteron asetat 2000 mcg/Ethinylestradiol 35 mcg Tablet Kapli.
NAFDAC said Philippine authorities claimed the pharmaceutical products had not gone through the FDA registration process and had not received the appropriate authorization in the form of a Certificate of Product Registration. “Therefore, the FDA cannot guarantee their quality, safety and efficacy. Therefore, consumption of these non-compliant products may pose a potential danger or harm to health.”
Risk Statement
NAFDAC warns that the illegal marketing of unregistered medicines or counterfeit pharmaceutical products poses a risk to people's health, “since failure to comply with the authorization process for marketing, import, distribution or legal sale does not guarantee the safety, quality and efficacy of the products.”
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“The administration of falsified or unregistered injectable products can cause harm to patients or have fatal consequences, including death,” the agency said in the statement. “It is evident that these products are not registered by NAFDAC and are not available in the NAFDAC database. It is important to ensure that they are not smuggled into the country through informal markets.”
NAFDAC therefore implored importers, distributors, retailers and healthcare providers to always exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain “to prevent the importation, distribution, sale or use of falsified or unregistered medicinal products.”
“Health professionals and consumers are advised to report any suspected adverse drug reactions, substandard or falsified medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office at 0800-162-3322 or by email: sf.alert@nafdac.gov.ng,” it further noted.