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TFDA allays fears over banned drug
2007-09-20 10:10:09
By Judica Tarimo
The Tanzania Food and Drug Authority has allayed fears over the negative impact on public health of the banned pain-killer Nimesuliden, saying it is busy phasing the drug out of the domestic market.
The intervention follows a recent World Health Organisation alert over the drug`s side-effects.
TFDA had already directed medical outlets across the country to return all their stocks of the drug to suppliers and health centres, ready for destruction by the authorities concerned.
However, the authority`s warning has since touched off public fear and panic, particularly among people who had already consumed the drug.
Most consumers are worried that their health and lives are in imminent danger following TFDA’s statement on the side-effects of the drug.
TFDA Public Relations Officer Gaudensia Simwanza told The Guardian in an exclusive interview yesterday that they have been receiving an avalanche of phone calls from consumers of the drug and other people seeking clarification on the said side-effects.
``These people are really worried that their health and life are in jeopardy because they have taken a drug we have said has serious health effects,`` she said.
``But there is no cause for alarm; people should stay calm. It is not automatic that all those who have taken the drug are in danger,`` she added.
According to Simwanza, the circulation of the painkiller in the local market started only recently after its official registration a year or so ago.
``Ordinarily, there should not be any adverse effect on people who have consumed the drug within such short period. That`s why we are insisting that people should stay calm and stop fearing for their health or lives,`` she noted further.
A countrywide operation is going on to pull stocks of the banned pain-killer from drugstores and return them to medical stores and health centres for safe custody pending destruction.
TFDA officials believe the exercise should be concluded by early November or thereabouts.
The authority is also understood to be working on the technical modalities of taking the entire stock of the drug to special centres for destruction soon after the search-and-collect exercise is completed.
``At the end of the day, all stocks will be collected and taken to the special centres for mass destruction.
But you can’t destroy them randomly; it calls for special technology and techniques,`` said Simwanza.
The authority is planning to call on expertise of specialists from the University of Dar es Salaam in destroying the rejected drugs, she added.
TFDA imposed a complete ban on the drug soon after WHO issued a report outlining serious side-effects linked to its consumption, among them liver failure.
The drug is described as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicine for the treatment of acute pain. It comes in a range of forms, including tablets, suspension and gel.
The authority has instructed the public, specifically applicants of the registration, manufacture, importation, distribution and sale of the drug, to refrain from the business.
``Medical outlets found selling the banned drug will face legal action,``the media quoted TFDA Director General Margreth Ndomondo as saying recently.
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