Date: 2018-05-04

One of the pharmaceutical companies indicted in the BBC documentary video on codeine production and distribution in Nigeria, Bioraj Pharmaceutical Limited, Ilorin, has suspended the store man shown in the video with immediate effect.

The managing director of the pharmacy, Mr Rahman Jimoh Bioku, disclosed this while speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Thursday over the allegation against the company.

Bioku said that the store man would be eventually sacked if found guilty. He added that the staff does not have any control on sales and distribution of any of its NAFDAC approved 58 products.

The managing director 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 rep 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 also disclosed 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 the 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 unauthorized 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.