The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to pull it has raised the alarm over the growing impact of extreme heat on medicines, warning that rising temperatures could reduce the effectiveness of drugs and endanger patients’ lives.
Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said the ongoing climate crisis and unprecedented heatwaves pose a major threat to maintaining the potency of medicines from production to consumption.
Adeyeye spoke at the third anniversary celebration of the Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training (IAMRAT), College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
The event, themed “Preserving Potency: Navigating Heat Stress in Medicine Distribution and Usage,” was organised in collaboration with NAFDAC.
Represented by the agency’s Director of Laboratory Services (Drug), Inkem Ifudu, Adeyeye said protecting medicines from environmental degradation has become a top priority for the agency.
She warned that excessive heat acts as a silent destroyer of drugs, leading to treatment failures and putting patients at serious health risks.
According to her, commonly used antibiotics such as amoxicillin capsules, paediatric suspensions and amoxicillin-clavulanate formulations are highly vulnerable to heat exposure and can quickly lose their effectiveness if not properly stored.
“The threat becomes even more dangerous for life-saving medicines like oxytocin used during childbirth. Once exposed to temperatures outside approved limits, these drugs may lose their potency completely,” she said.
Adeyeye explained that patients and healthcare workers may unknowingly use degraded medicines, believing they are receiving effective treatment when the drugs have already lost their therapeutic value.
To tackle the challenge, she said NAFDAC has intensified post-market surveillance through its seven laboratories across the country.
According to her, the agency regularly collects and tests drug samples from different parts of the supply chain to ensure they still meet approved standards.
She disclosed that NAFDAC has continued to seize compromised products, prosecute offenders and impose sanctions on distributors and companies found guilty of violating storage regulations.
The NAFDAC boss also warned Nigerians against buying drugs from roadside hawkers and unregistered open markets where medicines are often exposed to direct sunlight and harsh temperatures.
She advised consumers to patronise only licensed pharmacies and carefully follow storage instructions provided by manufacturers.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Oyo State chapter, Adebayo Ogundamosi, said pharmacists are spending huge sums to protect medicines from heat damage.
He revealed that many pharmacies now rely on generators, air-conditioning systems and solar-powered refrigeration facilities to maintain safe storage temperatures.
“With the rising cost of fuel, many pharmacists are turning to solar energy solutions and specialised WHO-approved solar refrigerators to preserve medicine quality,” he said.
In her remarks, Director of IAMRAT, Prof. IkeOluwapo Ajayi, warned that heat-induced degradation of medicines could create a false impression of treatment while illnesses continue to worsen.
She stressed that medicines that lose their potency due to poor storage conditions can become ineffective and, in some cases, harmful to patients.
Ajayi pledged that IAMRAT would continue to support research and awareness campaigns aimed at improving healthcare standards and ensuring safe medicine use across the country.
