The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against the use of four products found to contain potent medicinal ingredients, steroids, and other banned substances.
NAFDAC Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, signed a public alert on Sunday in Abuja that contains the warning.
Adeyeye said that the agency was notified of the product in a statement by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) of Singapore.
She said that the implicated potent medicinal ingredients are not allowed in the affected products and may cause severe side effects on consumers.
According to her, the HSA confirmed that four consumers experienced adverse effects after taking three of the products.
The NAFDAC boss claimed that a laboratory analysis by HSA of the products revealed that they contain powerful medicinal ingredients, such as steroids.
She said that the products also contain sibutramine (a banned weight loss medicine) and tadalafil (an erectile dysfunction medicine).
She claims that HSA has provided additional information about the products as follows: Potent medicinal ingredients.
She disclosed the source of the products as: ‘ENRU PLUS+’Sibutramine (a banned substance), local e-commerce, and social media platforms ‘HKT HERBA KURUS TRADISI’
According to her, possible adverse effects of potent ingredients found in the products include dexamethasone and prednisolone.
She said that dexamethasone and prednisolone are potent steroids that are usually prescribed for inflammatory conditions and could only be used under strict medical supervision.
Adeyeye said that long-term, unsupervised use of steroids can cause increased blood glucose levels, which she said can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, cataracts, and muscular and bone disorders.
She said that steroids could also cause an increased risk of infections and Cushing’s syndrome (a round or moon face’ appearance and upper body obesity with thin limbs).
The NAFDAC boss added that discontinuation of steroids without proper medical supervision can cause serious withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, confusion, and low blood pressure.
She also described Diclofenac in the products as a potent painkiller that may potentially cause serious gastric bleeding as well as cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes when used for a prolonged period.
According to her, diclofenac should be used under close medical supervision, especially for consumers with underlying heart conditions.
The NAFDAC DG said that sibutramine is a medicine prescribed for weight loss and has been banned in Singapore since 2010 because of an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Consumers who consumed slimming products laced with sibutramine also reported other serious side effects, such as a rapid heartbeat, hallucinations, or hearing voices.
She stated that Tadalafil is a prescription medicine used to treat erectile dysfunction that should only be given under medical supervision.
According to her, inappropriate use of tadalafil is dangerous and can increase the risk of serious adverse effects, including heart attack, stroke, headache, migraine, irregular heart rate, and priapism (painful and exceedingly long erections).
“Tadalafil can also pose serious risks to certain individuals, including those with heart-related problems. It can cause potentially life-threatening low blood pressure in those who are on heart medications, especially those containing nitrates,” she said.
Adeyeye further warned the public to be cautious with all these substances, adding that they are all dangerous to health.
