After Investigation, NAFDAC Clears Deleject Needles

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said Deleject Disposable Needles currently in circulation are safe for use after investigating a complaint about whitish particles allegedly found in one batch of the product.

NAFDAC said no evidence of any manufacturing defect or safety risk is associated with the products.

The Director of Post-Marketing Surveillance at NAFDAC, Bitrus Fraden, announced the findings during a media briefing in Abuja on Friday. He also said Public Alert No. 042/2026 on Deleject Disposable Needle Batch No. 240605 was mistakenly published on the agency’s website and should be disregarded.

“The information that gets back to us tells us that that case is actually an isolated case in Kaduna. And it is not the same in the other states,” Fraden said.

According to him, NAFDAC traced the product through the distribution chain to the manufacturing facility operated by HMA. The agency said its review of the manufacturer’s production processes and retention samples found no breach of Good Manufacturing Practice requirements.

Fraden said the findings indicate the reported contamination was an isolated incident that may have occurred after the product left the manufacturing facility rather than during production.

He said products from the affected distribution chain were withdrawn as part of the agency’s response. He added that regulatory sanctions can only be imposed where investigations establish a violation by a manufacturer, distributor or another operator.

Fraden urged distributors to ensure medical products are properly stored, transported and handled after they leave manufacturing facilities, warning that poor handling could compromise product quality.

He also said NAFDAC’s planned track-and-trace system would allow regulators to monitor products as they move through the supply chain and identify possible diversion or improper handling.

“The track and trace system that we have put in place, very soon we’ll be able to take care of some of these challenges,” he said.

Fraden said the system is expected to improve oversight of the distribution chain and help regulators identify where products may have been exposed to conditions that could affect their quality.

He called on distributors and other supply chain operators to maintain product quality throughout distribution, warning that improper handling of medical products could endanger consumers.