The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said its Legal Services Directorate (LESD) is reviewing a development where the producer of a product promoting smoking with the goal of seeking a redress in the law court.
This, as noted by NAFDAC should serve as a deterrent to individuals who may choose to malign or make libellous statements against the Agency in the future.
This is following a recent video circulating on social media, alleging that the Agency approved the registration of a herbal product claiming that “smoking is healthy” when used with their product.
Reacting to the video at a press conference which was held in Lagos on Tuesday, the Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Christiana Adeyeye categorically refuted this claim as false, baseless, and completely unfounded, adding that the product in question—Lung Detox Tea or Lungitox (Smokers Pride), or any similar product is not registered by NAFDAC.
The agency has therefore advised the general public to disregard the misleading video and avoid patronising any unregistered or suspicious products.
According to the agency, “In 2023, an unscrupulous individual submitted an application to register an ‘anti-smoke and lung detox tea’ at NAFDAC’s Lagos State Office (LSO).
“Upon review, the application was rejected due to the unsubstantiated and dangerous claim that smoking could be made ‘healthy’ by consuming the product. The applicant was asked to substantiate his claim, but the product was never resubmitted for processing.
“It is important to emphasise that NAFDAC does not and will never permit the approval, importation, exportation, manufacture, advertisement, distribution, or sale of any product that lacks a solid scientific basis or any product that poses a potential risk to public health.
“The claims made in the application were not only unscientific, but also posed a significant danger to public health.”
