carpmam:
I don't know y they are ganging up against emzor,they nafdac gave them the license to produce codeine,they gave them the specific quantity to be produced daily,why are they now sealing the company, have it been established that they produce more of the drug,or is it just because the owner of the company is from the east,or maybe because she is a woman

You are another sufferer of persecution/victim complex.

So with all you read about a lack of cooperation from the 3 different pharmaceutical firms, all you care about is the single one known to be owned by an Igbo.

How will a future Biafra survive this toxic clannish behaviour, where an Owerri man will always support his own over an Nnewi man?

Even if this clannishness is in your DNA, can't you find a way to suppress it with objectivity using the facts of the matter?

Must a regulator already conducting an investigation over a drug abuse epidemic, have to beg a firm that is already a suspect, to cooperate with it?

Now let them cooperate with criminal negligence.

Let them seal Benson and Hedges too or aren't their products abused?

Government is just looking for money for elections

CSTR1003:
codeine is not an illegal drug. It is the world's best cough therapy.

If people get high on penicillin for example, are you going to sanctions companies producing the product.

What kind of idiots do we have in this country?

There are British companies producing and exporting codeine. Why haven't the BBC called for their investigation?

Are you sure the BBC were not contracted by a foreign pharmaceutical. ? They are certainly not beyond that.

So nothing should be done? What's your point?

new2012:


We need statistics to be sure of that, you know.. Since its not only Emzor that manufacture those stuffs

That's why I said they have a decent percentage of that. Even if it's 10%. That's 300k bottles doing the illegal route every blessed day. No way they can be selling even 100,000 bottles to people with cough daily. When no be say na Sahara desert we dey live. So all those companies are aware of the reason they make so much sales.

rusher14:


Are you surprised?

Welcome to Nigeria 2018

I am not surprised at you.

Are you not a zombie?

You support buhari and his govt in everything. Don't mistake that for a love of what is right.

Even if they reopen it, you will still find a way to support them.

Unscrupulous character.

Olalan:
Medicine after death, it took a documentary from a foreign station to get them to act, as thou there wasn't any complaints from Nigerians before nown.
Shame on all the relevant agencies

Wailer

macbede:
Ban or no ban, 30,00 bottles of that substance will be consumed daily in the north.

Who's deceiving who?

No mind them, na naija we Dey

CSTR1003:

I am not surprised at you.

Are you not a zombie?

You support buhari and his govt in everything. Don't mistake that for a love of what is right.

Even if they reopen it, you will still find a way to support them.

Unscrupulous character.

My quote is simple.

A hefty fine must be imposed.

The pharmacies must open at some point.

Your take on this subject shows you are not even interested in the issue. For you it is more about Buhari or otherwise.

new2012:



How did they encourage abuse? The NAFDAC that didn't do their job, Who should fine them?

Emzor and others produced legitimate drugs and sell. It's not their headache that its abused, its the ministry of health that should figure that out.. Not sure they have a functional minister though, had this been d Ebola era, maybe-just maybe Nigeria may have been decongested (pun intended).


They are supposed to churn out medicine even much more than beverages so people get treated properly and with the right drugs. Don't be overly sentimental.


All the fines the govt have collected, what were they used for? Relooted I suppose

God bless you

I don't think shutting the company down is the best way to stop that drug I think NAFDAC just need to place a stiffer cintrol on the production of codeine and find a way to retrieve over 30,000 in circulation in the north alone and other part of the country.

patani:


Thanks for giving the idiot this simple answer...He couldn't use his brain to know that pharmaceutical companies and pharmacist have responsibility to control certain drugs from being sold to the general public(Emzor, nd the likes along with their personnel, who at a time might have sworn to this oath have breached these)...I pray Nigerians realize oneday that we all have collective effort to move this country forward. The same attitude the guy portrayed is what lot of us portray while government is fighting corruption. I keep saying it, Nigerians do not deserve a better Nigeria...

Idiot? Just because my opinion differs from yours? It tells how you were raised.

Lucid1:


So nothing should be done? What's your point?

If found culpable of selling to unauthorised hands, then arrest the managing director.

You do not shut down your biggest pharmaceutical company for any reason, unless in a case of deliberate public harm.
In most countries, these are essential infrastructures, that are a matter of national interest.

Codeine is still used by many as a cough syrup, so it is a legitimate drug. It is not a public Hazard .

The only problem is when it is sold to unauthorised personnel. And if that is the case, the managing director and the sales administrator should take the heat.

A bottle of codeine was as cheap as N200 until it became an abused drug. Price went up to between N900-1500.

Labourers, motor park touts and in general poor people cannot afford the high price. Its is the rich kids who take the stuff. Let me point this out, one bottle of codeine will not satisfy those guys. They take like 5-10bottles a day. So, even before the ban, codeine was not cheap then imagine the cost of drinking 5 bottles a day. We are looking at N5000 average per day. Who can afford that?

In summary, banning codeine will not stop production or importation. It is just giving food to smugglers. Also the price of codeine will go even higher so only the rich can afford it.

The rich will not escape this menace until Islam allows its faithfuls to drink alcohol. This is where the real problem lies.

sanandreas:
After sealing the company, they can as well seal Northern youths mouths. This is definitely not the right approach. What happened to sanctions? Oh I forgot it is owned by Igbos. The highest pharmaceutical company in Nigeria has been shut down.

Apparently, all you read was not useful to you, except the pre-existing knowledge that Emzor is owned by an Igbo.

That was all that mattered to you.

Persecution/Victim complex cannot even die inside Biafra, so why am I surprised it is an epidemic in the SouthEast within Nigeria?

May be the claimed "highest" pharmaceutical company should be more ethical than profit driven, and more cooperative when under investigation by their regulator.

I reckon the other companies where just included so as not to betray the grand agenda against the Igbos?

new2012:


Dude, unfortunately for you, you're not interested in understanding someone else's point of view.

They produced drugs and sell towards saving lives, someone abuses a legitimate drug, what's should the company do? Is it the company that will enforce selling drugs only based on prescriptions?


You mentally shut down your mind to other opinions. Do you realize that codene is for legitimate purposes? Are you aware it's not exclusively emzor? The only reason Emzor is in this is because some investigative reporter caught one of their sales person.


Who should enforce some sort of prescription for drugs pharmacy? Who should measure the country in identifying drug abuse? Should the pharmaceutical companies figure out if the masses are abusing any certain drug?


I'll give u an analogy, Nigerians seldom pour acid on people for whatever reason, should the government ban acids or close down the manufacturers? You can still get acid to buy if you know where...


So sometimes read and listen to understand not to provide response..

they should have raised alarm or report to the responsible agency just like banks do in case of fraud or money laundering

Since the ban of alcohol sales in parts of Northern Nigeria, the youths over there consume things that are worse than alcohol. They smoke cow dung, inhale pit latrine, smoke coffee, mix petrol with vulcanisation's solution. They smoke weed like mad.

toluxa1:


That's why I said they have a decent percentage of that. Even if it's 10%. That's 300k bottles doing the illegal route every blessed day. No way they can be selling even 100,000 bottles to people with cough daily. When no be say na Sahara desert we dey live. So all those companies are aware of the reason they make so much sales.

Are you aware that if NAfDAC is functioning properly, they'll regulate the numbers per manufacturer?


The point is NAFDAC is dead to their tasks and only wake up because of the press, which is wrong. Who told u NaFDAC staff ain't selling codene? Go to their office in Ikoyi and tell them you have a large shipment of codene from India and see how they'll do business with you.

Nigeria is messed up bro.

rusher14:


There is nothing to understand.

We do not have a cough epidemic.

Should these manufacturers have witnessed a disproportionate increase in demand they should have cried out even if it was strictly for cough.

Anywhere else in the developed world and they might have their licences revoked.

Enough with your 3rd world reasoning.

#wedonothaveacoughepidemic

new2012:


You had to switch to insult me.

Like I said earlier you have a problem, your mental matter is maggot eaten.

We are discussing and next thing is insult? How old are you?

You shut down emzor for codene, is it only codene they manufacture? Is NAFDAC dead all these while or just because of the press that they're now forced to do their job?

Dude, you have mental issues, if in a normal discussion you had to resort to insults.

Grow up

What's wrong with acting on a tip or based on foreign intelligence?

It's akin to saying because the police receives Intel on a possible terror threat, they shouldn't act because the intel didn't originate from their domestic sources.

We should shun cynicism and embrace objectivity.

rusher14:


My quote is simple.

A hefty fine must be imposed.

The pharmacies must open at some point.

Your take on this subject shows you are not even interested in the issue. For you it is more about Buhari or otherwise.

My take on the subject is that you are not a credible commentator.

Your views are always skewed on the side of the FG because of the buhari/osibanjo factor.

The company will reopen at some point. So what is the time frame? In the mean time revenues are being lost, legitimate products for other sick people are being restricted.

If emzor goes under due to lose of revenues, can buhari create an alternative even if he spends 20 years in power?

They should tackle the cause not the symptom . Rubbish

rusher14:


There is nothing to understand.

We do not have a cough epidemic.

Should these manufacturers have witnessed a disproportionate increase in demand they should have cried out even if it was strictly for cough.

Anywhere else in the developed world and they might have their licences revoked.

Enough with your 3rd world reasoning.

Leave them to their obviously 'Nigerian' arguments. Of course Emzor management knew that the codeine sales boom was due to drug abuse, but as usual, profit over ethics/conscience.

I'm still waiting for the usual allegation that Emzor has been targeted because it belongs to Igbos.

My only fear now is that unscrupulous NAFDAC staff might look for ways to make more money out of the situation.

rusher14:
Emzor and the likes cannot claim they didn't realise a disproportionate hike in demand of a product that is strictly a medicine one that could be abused.

When you start churning out medicines like you would beverages it means you are encouraging abuse.

A massive fine should be imposed on these pharmaceutical companies who participated in encouraging abuse of this product well against the ethics of the profession.

I see Nigerians above me once again supporting evil because that is their latest fad.

Nigeria would never be that country you desire it to be as long as your immediate reaction is cynicism and hate.

Maybe a lot of people had cough. It is not the job of the pharmaceutical company to determine the reason for the rise in demand. If tomorrow, our ever resourceful youth find a way to get high on toothpaste and to meet this rising demand, lever brothers increases its production, can you say that Lever brothers is encouraging abuse? While Nafdac are at it, they should shut down Coca-cola because the codeine is mixed in this.

CSTR1003:

My take on the subject is that you are not a credible commentator.

Your views are always skewed on the side of the FG because of the buhari/osibanjo factor.

The company will reopen at some point. So what is the time frame? In the mean time revenues are being lost, legitimate products for other sick people are being restricted.

If emzor goes under due to lose of revenues, can buhari create an alternative even if he spends 20 years in power?

And you are credible?

Is Buhari NAFDAC or he should resign only for the next, it responsible, government to carry out the same operation.

Loss of revenues is nothing compared to the loss of sanity and health by those who have been subjected to the pharmacies unwitting operations.

They can be shutdown if they have transgressed their agreement with NAFDAC.

The world abhors a vacuum. Should they be shutdown another pharmacy would rise up. Hopefully it would be more ethical in its conduct.

adanny01:
A bottle of codeine was as cheap as N200 until it became an abused drug. Price went up to between N900-1500.

Labourers, motor park touts and in general poor people cannot afford the high price. Its is the rich kids who take the stuff. Let me point this out, one bottle of codeine will not satisfy those guys. They take like 5-10bottles a day. So, even before the ban, codeine was not cheap then imagine the cost of drinking 5 bottles a day. We are looking at N5000 average per day. Who can afford that?

In summary, banning codeine will not stop production or importation. It is just giving food to smugglers. Also the price of codeine will go even higher so only the rich can afford it.

The rich will not escape this menace until Islam allows its faithfuls to drink alcohol. This is where the real problem lies.

I wonder why they are not going after the foreign companies.

Those ones will tell them that codeine is a legitimate drug.

And that virtually any substance can be abused. It doesn't mean we should stop producing them for those who truly need it as long as they are in registered hands.

Morphine is still being used as a pain reliever in hospitals.

AerialMapper:


Maybe a lot of people had cough. It is not the job of the pharmaceutical company to determine the rise in demand. If tomorrow, our ever resourceful youth find a way to get high on toothpaste and to meet this rising demand, lever brothers increases its production to meet this demand, can you say that Lever brothers is encouraging abuse? While Nafdac are at it, they should shut down Coca-cola because the codeine is mixed in this.

Emzor should immediately institute a case against NAFDAC for loss of earnings using your argument.

new2012:


Are you aware that if NAfDAC is functioning properly, they'll regulate the numbers per manufacturer?


The point is NAFDAC is dead to their tasks and only wake up because of the press, which is wrong. Who told u NaFDAC staff ain't selling codene? Go to their office in Ikoyi and tell them you have a large shipment of codene from India and see how they'll do business with you.

Nigeria is messed up bro.

Exactly. The Cliq of this evil act runs deep and far. I'm very sure NAFDAC staff are very much involved not just on an individual basis but even very well in conjection with some of the manufacturers. We haven't even seen how serious this issue is yet.
It's well with Nigeria jare.

Lucid1:


What's wrong with acting on a tip or based on foreign intelligence?

It's akin to saying because the police receives Intel on a possible terror threat, they shouldn't act because the intel didn't originate from their domestic sources.

We should shun cynicism and embrace objectivity.

Not saying they shouldn't act based on Intel. But not leaving the other things undone. Waking up from slumber and shutting the entire company down?

rusher14:


There is nothing to understand.

We do not have a cough epidemic.

Should these manufacturers have witnessed a disproportionate increase in demand they should have cried out even if it was strictly for cough.

Anywhere else in the developed world and they might have their licences revoked.

Enough with your 3rd world reasoning.

so emzor should stop producing cough syrup cus abookis are getting high on it abi?nigeria should stop crude oil activites cus is polluting our rivers.feterlizer should be ban cus terrorist are using it for bomb make ,ewu like you

new2012:


Dude, unfortunately for you, you're not interested in understanding someone else's point of view.

They produced drugs and sell towards saving lives, someone abuses a legitimate drug, what's should the company do? Is it the company that will enforce selling drugs only based on prescriptions?


You mentally shut down your mind to other opinions. Do you realize that codene is for legitimate purposes? Are you aware it's not exclusively emzor? The only reason Emzor is in this is because some investigative reporter caught one of their sales person.


Who should enforce some sort of prescription for drugs pharmacy? Who should measure the country in identifying drug abuse? Should the pharmaceutical companies figure out if the masses are abusing any certain drug?


I'll give u an analogy, Nigerians seldom pour acid on people for whatever reason, should the government ban acids or close down the manufacturers? You can still get acid to buy if you know where...


So sometimes read and listen to understand not to provide response..

Have u listened to urself? Some investigative reporter caught one of their sales person doing what?

rusher14:


And you are credible?

Is Buhari NAFDAC or he should resign only for the next, it responsible, government to carry out the same operation.

Loss of revenues is nothing compared to the loss of sanity and health by those who have been subjected to the pharmacies unwitting operations.

They can be shutdown if they have transgressed their agreement with NAFDAC.

The world abhors a vacuum. Should they be shutdown another pharmacy would rise up. Hopefully it would be more ethical in its conduct.

Is this guy not deluded?

So codeine the world's best cough therapy is now the cause of lose of sanity and health?

So if people get addicted to penicillin, will you banned the companies producing them for legitimate syphilis patients?
People are addicted to gum Will you close down gum production companies?

Nature abhors a vacuum in this Nigeria? You think the pharmaceutical industry is baba ijebu?

Please tell me those that have replaced the defunct textile industries of the 70s and 80s.

You and your govt are not serious.

bekpo:


Have u listened to urself? Some investigative reporter caught one of their sales person doing what?

If you're an investigative journalist you can actually get anyone in Nigeria including the NaFDAC. Yes I listened to myself, you should try it sometimes, appraise your reasoning before pouring it out.