NAFDAC cautions  against use of weight loss pill

The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has cautioned Nigerians against the abuse of the drug —Weight Rapid Loss Capsule. The caution is contained in an alert with No. 049/2022, signed by NAFDAC’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, issued  on Sunday in Abuja.

The Weight Loss Rapid Capsule is a new fat burning formula containing raspberry ketones as its main ingredient. According to Adeyeye, the researched drugs have a potential cause of cancer. However, the NAFDAC boss revealed that the laboratory analysis result showed that the drug, manufactured by Ingi Oman, contain banned substance “phenolphthalein”, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration marked as unsafe.

She also added that the capsule, which has gained prominence on the social media like Instagram, and is being marketed as “the most effective weight loss supplement”, also contains microbial growth above permissible limits. Also, “phenolphthalein has been found to be toxic to genes, as it can cause damage or mutations in the DNA. Studies have also shown its potential carcinogenic risks. “NAFDAC implores consumers to stop the purchase and use of the product. “Members of the public in possession of the product should discontinue use or sale, and submit stock to the nearest NAFDAC office” she added.

Adeyeye counselled healthcare professionals and consumers to report any adverse effect experienced with the use of the product to the nearest NAFDAC office. Consumers are also advised to report adverse effect via pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng or E-reporting platforms available at www.nafdac.gov.ng. Adeyeye also enjoined the entire public to report any incident concerning the use of the drug via the Med-safety application, which can be accessed on android and IOS stores.

 NAN/Wumi