• Nigeria gets 333 Truenat Devices to boost TB diagnosis
• NHIA increases health insurance coverage 

National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has commenced an investigation into a suspected substandard Deekins Amoxycillin 500mg capsule, manufactured by Ecomed Pharma Ltd and marketed by Devine Kings Pharmaceutical Ltd, with lot number 4C639001.

According to the agency, the investigation followed reports of serious adverse drug reactions being experienced by patients who took the medication across the country.

Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, who disclosed this, yesterday while updating journalists on the matter, noted that a statement obtained from the Marketing Authorisation Holder (MAH), Divine King Pharmaceutical Ltd, Mr Kingsley Ekeanyanwu, indicated that all products were manufactured by Ecomed Pharma Ltd.

Speaking at the press conference, the NAFDAC boss observed that Ecomed Pharma Ltd, in its statement, claimed to have produced only 20 packets of the affected batch number 4C639001 for renewal of his registration and also claimed to have manufactured 1,961packets, Batch No 4C639002.

MEANWHILE, the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has increased insurance coverage from 16.7 million to about 19. 2 million, representing a 14 per cent increase in less than a year.

The authority also said 2.4 vulnerable Nigerians had been covered by health insurance under the Basic Health Care Provisions Fund (BHCPF).

It disclosed its plan to increase enrollment by 2025 to meet its target of having 20 million Nigerians covered by health insurance and possibly surpass the target.

Director General of the Authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, who disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja, noted that the NHIA had reviewed the minimum basic benefit package so that unmet needs for family planning could be included.

He said: “Going forward, we want to build on the successes we have had, and we’ve had quite a lot of them this year, we need to increase enrollment by next year, we will meet our target of 20 million people, but we also aim to surpass that and see how far we can push, as long as we get all the key, like the enforcement of the mandate and creating more awareness and for this, We cannot do it without you.”

IN another health-related development, Molbio Diagnostics of India has deployed 333 Truenat devices across Nigeria to enhance diagnosis and boost the Tuberculosis (TB) response.

This is a step by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare with support from the Global Fund, aimed at leveraging technology to scale up testing to combat TB and other infectious diseases in regions with limited access to advanced medical facilities.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2020 recommended the use of Truenat MTB-RIF Dx (Molbio Diagnostics, India, a new rapid molecular assay for TB diagnosis and detection of Rifampicin resistance. The Truenat test is a point-of-care (POC) chip-based real-time micro-PCR for the semi-quantitative detection of MTBC directly from sputum specimens.

Announcing the deployment yesterday in Abuja, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Molbio Diagnostics, Sriram Natarajan, stated that the firm was committed to supporting Nigeria in its fight against TB and improving public health outcomes through timely and accurate diagnostics.

In his remarks, the laboratory lead at the National Tuberculosis, Leprosy and Buruli Ulcer Programme (NTBLCP), Rita Akpakpan, explained that the device, which is automated and battery-operated, could be used to extract, amplify, and detect specific genomic DNA loci for TB and Rifampicin resistant.

The Programme Management Unit Team Lead, Dr Emperor Ubochioma, noted that the deployment of Truenat devices across Nigeria was a transformative step in the battle against TB and DR-TB.