The group managing director and chief executive officer of Emzor Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Dr. Stella Okoli has said that the company had submitted to the police information about its absconded worker who featured in the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) documentary, “Sweet sweet codeine”.
Speaking in Lagos on the reopening Emzor Pharmaceuticals Liquid Factory shut down by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on May 7, 2018 in the wake of wake the codeine crisis, Okoli expressed pain that one of its products –Emzolyn with codeine, a therapeutic product, made for the relief of a specific illness, was being abused.
She said drug abuse is a national concern and everybody should be concerned stressing that all hands should be on deck to arrest the situation.
She said Emzor would seek to make relevant and impactful contributions to the multi-agency discussions on the way forward, especially from the limited depiction of rehabilitation efforts represented in the BBC programme.
“As a parent and especially a mother, I am deeply saddened by the problem of drug abuse and its damaging effect on our children and youths. We follow good manufacturing practice (GMP) here at Emzor, and NAFDAC officials from the investigation and enforcement directorate, conducted an inspection of our factory and were given full access to all the records they requested. We are happy to announce that after carrying out all necessary due diligence, NAFDAC has now reopened the factory,” she said.
Also speaking, the director-general duties, human resources and finance, Mrs. Uzoma Ezeoke said the company had built trust among its consumers across Nigeria and Africa based on proper internal regulatory and professional certifications for manufacturing..
“Every site we operate has Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certificate issued and every product meets required specifications. The spate of drug abuse is really worrisome. It is a social ill. Many substances are being abused and everybody has a role to play. It is unfortunate that Emzor is in the spectacle among the three companies in the documentary,” she said.
