The Federal Ministry of Health has advised Nigerians to be vigilant of the type of the hand sanitizers they buy, insisting that they use only those with the registration number of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) written on them.

It, therefore, warned that wholesale and retail owners found to be selling hand sanitizers with no NAFDAC registration number would be arrested and prosecuted.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Director of Information, Media and Public Relations of the Federal Ministry of Health, in Abuja on Tuesday.

The warning, according to the statement, is as a result of the outcome of a study conducted by the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) on the quality of hand sanitizers marketed and sold across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The findings of the study showed that 63.33% of the samples had less than the 60% alcohol content advertised on their packaging; 76.67% of the samples failed to meet the pH criterion for tropical products; 50% of the samples did not have NAFDAC certification number; and 26.67% of the samples were without manufacturing and expiration dates on their packaging.

The Federal Ministry of Health, therefore, advised whole sale and retail outlets to sell only NAFDAC registered hand sanitizers to the public, warning that offenders will be brought to book.

“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,” the statement noted.

The Ministry, therefore, advised the general public to note that using substandard hand sanitizers will not stop the spread of Corona virus; and to report poorly labelled hand sanitizers without NAFDAC registration number through the NAFDAC care line on – 0700-1-NAFDAC (0700-1-623322).

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