Federal Ministry Of Health: Public Health Advisory

FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HEALTH
PUBLIC HEALTH ADVISORY

QUALITY OF HAND SANITIZERS IN THE NIGERIAN MARKET

In responding to the vison of the Ministry to ensure a healthy Nigeria as well as control the spread of the dreaded Covid-19 virus in the country, the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), one of the parastatals of the Federal Ministry of Health, conducted a study on the quality of hand sanitizers marketed, sold and used across the Federal Capital Territory. The following were some of their findings:

33% of the samples had less than the 60% alcohol content advertised on their packaging;
67% of the samples failed to meet the pH criterion for tropical products;
50% of the samples did not have NAFDAC certification number; and
67% of the samples were without manufacturing and expiration dates on their packaging.
ADVISORY TO WHOLESALE & RETAIL OUTLETS

Retail outlets are hereby required to:

Sell only NAFDAC registered hand sanitizers to the public as offenders will be brought to book.
ADVISORY TO PHARMACEUTICAL RETAIL OUTLETS

Pharmaceutical retail outlets who may wish to compound or produce hand sanitizers are hereby required to:

Only compound hand sanitizer based on request; and
Only compound minimal quantity to patients after certifying the quality of the ingredients.

ADVISORY TO THE PUBLIC

The public is hereby required to:

Note that using substandard hand sanitizers will NOT stop the spread of Corona virus;
Ensure that you purchase only the hand sanitizers which have the NAFDAC registration number;
Report the sighting of poorly labelled hand sanitizers without NAFDAC registration number to call the NAFDAC care line on – 0700-1-NAFDAC (0700-1-623322)

The public should be assured that the Government through the relevant agencies is determined to stop the exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing the production and sale of unwholesome and sub-standard products, including hand sanitizers, to the unsuspecting public.

 
Signed,
Director, Information, Media & Public Relations
Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja