ABOUT THE BBC DOCUMENTARY ON COUGH SYRUP CONTAINING CODEINE

• The Company is aware of the BBC documentary on the abuse of Cough syrup containing codeine and has carefully watched all the contents therein.
• The two investigators in the documentary placed a call to the Superintendent Pharmacist on the 4^th of March, 2018 portraying themselves as business people and requesting an appointment to discuss how they could distribute our Pharmaceutical PRODUCTS generally.
• They were given an appointment to meet the Pharmacist in the factory on morning of 5^th of March, 2018.
• They were warmly welcomed into the factory because the Company is a customer friendly company.
• They spent about 30 minutes with our Pharmacist as against the less than 2 minutes portrayed in the documentary.
• They started by discussing how they could distribute our Pharmaceutical Products until they narrowed their discussion down to distribution of our Cof ‘n’ cold with codeine syrup.
• The Pharmacist told them he is ready to do business with them on the condition that they legally register a Pharmacy outlet.
• He also educated them on how a Pharmacy outlet is being open and that a Pharmacist needs to be employed who will be the only person our company can do business with just like any other registered Pharmacy outlet and that only a Pharmacist can represent the company in any dealings relating to Pharmaceuticals.
• At no time did the Pharmacist agreed to sell the product to them or even show them a sample of the product even when he was persuaded and when the interviewers tried to maneuver him.
• The Pharmacist eventually left them in his office and they left the factory unceremoniously.
• After that episode, the Pharmacist neither called them nor have any form of contact with them thereafter.
• At this juncture, we wish to state that based on the statistics presented in the documentary that over 3,000,000 bottles of cough syrup containing codeine are consumed every day, Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Industries produce less than 0.2% of this value.
• We also wish to state that we at Peace Standard Pharmaceutical feel that the documentary was targeted towards rubbishing the good work of Federal Government, NAFDAC, PCN and other related bodies who have strived hard over the years in regulating us to the best of their ability.
• In addition, we want to include that our company takes distribution of our Products seriously especially Cof’ n’ cold with codeine syrup. This has led us to easily detect even when the faked version of the product is being sold through our internal mechanisms.
• On two occasions, we have arrested and handed over fakers of this Cof ‘n’ cold with codeine syrup to NAFDAC: the first faker has since been jailed and the other still being prosecuted.
• Peace Standard Pharmaceutical has also in various form contributed to programs aimed at reducing drug abuse. The company has a yearly budget for programs targeted toward drug abuse. We have partnered with bodies like NDLEA, PSN, Ministry of Health, NAFDAC and others in many programs related to reducing drug abuse in the society.

ABOUT THE CLOSURE OF THE COMPANY

• Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Industries Limited is a company duly registered by the Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria, NAFDAC and Corporate Affair Commission.
• We are not in any form an illegal Company manufacturing illegal product as portrayed by some media houses.
• We read in various media that the reason for the closure of the company by NAFDAC on the 7^th of May, 2018 was because the company resisted inspection and did not present all necessary document requested.
• We wish to state in response to the above that NAFDAC officials were in our factory on the 2^nd of May, 2018.
• The Company welcomed them warmly and assured them that we are ready to cooperate with them.
• The Officials were allowed entry to ALL areas they wished to inspect without any form of resistance whatsoever.
• The Officials were also presented with ALL the documents they requested for and the company made photocopies of some of those documents for the Officials as requested by them without any form of resistance whatsoever.
• The Officials verbally commended the Company for our high level of cooperation after the whole exercise and expressed their joy that we did not pose any form of resistance whatsoever.
• The Company also cooperated fully with the Officials on their second visit to the Company on the 7^th of May, 2018: The day they closed down the company.
• Despite the fact that the company had closed business for the day before the arrival of the official, we called back all the necessary officers of the company to return to the factory to attend to the NAFDAC Officials.
• We also cooperated with them fully throughout the process of closure of the company and the officials also acknowledged our cooperation.
• At no time was there any form of resistance from our Company.
• The Company thereafter faced a high powered investigative committee set up by NAFDAC on the issue and the committee to a large extent cleared our company of allegations leveled against us.
• Subsequently, the company was opened five days after it was initially closed and the company has been operating in full capacity ever since then.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

• Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Industries Limited is a responsible company that has been in existence since 2003.
• The company registers with the Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria every year.
• All our products are duly registered with NAFDAC
• Our company abides by the rules governing operation of Pharmaceutical companies.
• We distribute all our Products to ONLY accredited Pharmacy outlets who are duly registered by the Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria.
• We import our Codeine Phosphate hemihydrate according to the dictates of NAFDAC who issues us Authorization to import and later Permit to clear when the substance eventually arrives the Country.

ABOUT THE BBC DOCUMENTARY ON COUGH SYRUP CONTAINING CODEINE

• The Company is aware of the BBC documentary on the abuse of Cough syrup containing codeine and has carefully watched all the contents therein.
• The two investigators in the documentary placed a call to the Superintendent Pharmacist on the 4^th of March, 2018 portraying themselves as business people and requesting an appointment to discuss how they could distribute our Pharmaceutical PRODUCTS generally.
• They were given an appointment to meet the Pharmacist in the factory on morning of 5^th of March, 2018.
• They were warmly welcomed into the factory because the Company is a customer friendly company.
• They spent between 15 to 30 minutes with our Pharmacist as against the less than 2 minutes portrayed in the documentary.
• They started by discussing how they could distribute our Pharmaceutical Products until they narrowed their discussion down to distribution of our Cof ‘n’ cold with codeine syrup.
• The Pharmacist told them he is ready to do business with them on the condition that they legally register a Pharmacy outlet.
• He also educated them on how a Pharmacy outlet is being open and that a Pharmacist needs to be employed who will be the only person our company can do business with just like any other registered Pharmacy outlet and that only a Pharmacist can front for the company in any dealings relating Pharmaceuticals.
• At no time did the Pharmacist agreed to sell the product to them or sell the product to them or even show them a sample of the product even when he was persuaded and when the interviewers tried to maneuver him.
• The Pharmacist eventually left them in his office and they left the factory unceremoniously.
• After that episode, the Pharmacist neither called them nor have any form of contact with them thereafter.
• At this juncture, we wish to state that based on the statistics presented in the documentary that over 3,000,000 bottles of cough syrup containing codeine are consumed every day, Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Industries produce less than 0.2% of this value.
• We also wish to state that we at Peace Standard Pharmaceutical feel that the documentary was targeted towards rubbishing the good work of Federal Government, NAFDAC, PCN and other related bodies who have strived hard over the years in regulating us to the best of their ability.
• In addition, we want to include that our company takes distribution of our Products seriously especially Cof’ n’ cold with codeine syrup. This has led us to easily detect even when the faked version of the product is being sold through our internal mechanisms.
• On two occasions, we have arrested and handed over fakers of this Cof ‘n’ cold with codeine syrup to NAFDAC: the first faker has since been jailed and the other still being prosecuted.
• Peace Standard Pharmaceutical has also in various form contributed to programs aimed at reducing drug abuse. The company has a yearly budget for programs targeted toward drug abuse. We have partnered with bodies like NDLEA, PSN, Ministry of Health, NAFDAC and others in many programs related to reducing drug abuse in the society.