Codeine Syrup Ban: Pharmaceutical Company Suspends Staff

A leading pharmaceutical company alleged to be one of the outfits mentioned in the BBC documentary video on codeine production and distribution, Bioraj Pharmaceutical Limited, Ilorin, at the weekend, disclosed that, the store man of the company that was shown in the video has been suspended from the company with immediate effect.

Already, the federal government has also banned the production and distribution of codeine products in the country with immediate effect.

The Managing Director, Bioraj Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Rahamon Bioku, who spoke with journalists in Ilorin, Kwara State capital, said the company had commenced a thorough investigation on the development and the ongoing investigation would reveal level of culpability of the staff.

Bioku, who said that the store man would be eventually sacked if found guilty, added that the staff does not have any control on sales and distribution of any of its NAFDAC approved 58 products. The MD also said that the sales representative showed in the BBC documentary video had been suspended from the company since May 2016, adding that he was finally disengaged in August same year. “Even when he was here with us, he was not allowed to handle cough syrup with codeine. Watching through the video clips, I saw in him a desperate marketer wanting to make big money from people he thought were big businessmen.

“Any representations made by the former sales representative and the store man shown in the video are not in line with the thinking, policy, ethical rules and regulations of Bioraj pharmaceutical limited,” he said.

He said that the company had placed embargo on sales of Biolin cough syrup with codeine pending outcome of its investigation, adding that it would comply with federal government directive to ban further issuance of permits for importation of codeine phosphate as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough syrup preparation to tame abuse of such drug products in the country. Bioku, who said that the company had not sold codeine-containing preparation (cough) to unauthorised person or premises, added that its distributors and wholesalers were duly registered with Pharmacist Council of Nigeria.

“Biolin with codeine is not only registered, we comply with all rules and regulations guiding its importation, production and distribution. And none of our sales representatives has authority to take order or supply Biolin cough syrup with codeine to customers,” he said.