The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control in Nasarawa State says it is retrieving a drug, Oxytocin, from pharmacies and patent medicine shops in the state. Michael Attah, state coordinator of the agency, said this in an interview in Lafia on Thursday.
According to Mr. Attah, NAFDAC was retrieving the drug among others, because some pharmacies and patent shops in the state failed to adhere to the storage requirements set for it.
Oxytocin, a drug given to pregnant women to induce/assist (augment) labour and control post-partum bleeding, should always be stored between 4 to 8 degrees centigrade to maintain its 100 per cent potency and avert health risks.
"Most of them do not have cool spots and they just put it on an ordinary shelves. The presumed temperature of Lafia alone is about 28 degrees centigrade and Oxytocin is not heat-friendly. The drug will lose its potency if it is not refrigerated or kept in cool spots," he said.
He said a sensitisation workshop would be held on June 15 to enlighten drug marketers on several issues relating to the right temperatures to store specific drugs, and how to sell and manage drugs.
Good move; the nightmare doctors/nurses experience when faced with fake/ineffective oxytocin in the labour room is truly terrifying. Many women have lost their lives from uncontrolled bleeding after delivery which could have been avoided with better drug quality.
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