FOLLOWING the death of two ladies from Benue State after being treated with the banned Gentamycin 280mg injection, the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has ordered all hospitals, pharmacies and other outlets still stocking the product to immediately surrender them to the nearest NAFDAC office for destruction.

According to him, anyone found using the banned product would be prosecuted for homicide. Gentamicin is an antibiotic used to treat many types of bacterial infections. NAFDAC on October 7, 2010 banned Gentamycin 280mg injection from circulation by informing healthcare providers and the general public on deregistration and subsequent withdrawal.

The agency said the regulatory action was consequent upon recent safety data associating the use of high dose, single unit Gentamycin injection with ototoxicity (causing deafness), nephrotoxicity (kidney damage) and increase incidence of endotoxin (a toxin kept within the bacterial cell and to be released only after destruction of the bacterial cell wall) reactions.

Endotoxin reactions include anaphylactic shock (difficulty in breathing and shock ultimately leading to death), haemorrhage (bleeding), fribinolysis (a process that prevents blood clots from growing and becoming problematic), hypotension (low blood pressure), inflammation (localised reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a result of infection, irritation, or injury), vascular coagulation (a serious disorder in which the proteins that control blood clotting become abnormally active) among other unpleasant side effects.

Investigation by NAFDAC team, which was made public at a press conference yesterday in Lagos by the Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, revealed that Miss Florence Bagidi, a final year student of Benue State University, died following intravenous administration of Gentamycin 280mg injection by Mr. Reuben Obasi, a secondary school certificate holder and patent medicine store operator.

The NAFDAC boss said Obasi, who is currently being detained at the homicide section at the Police Headquarters in Makurdi, has been interrogated and he admitted administering the drug on the late Bagidi. Orhii said the agency was collaborating with the homicide section of the police to conduct thorough laboratory analysis on the drug.

The Batch Number of the Gentamycin 280mg injection is 110102; Manufacturing Date, 01/2011; and Expiring Date, 01/2014.

More Details: http://channelkoos.com/index.php/health/1499-nafdac-alerts-on-killer-gentamycin-injection

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