Laboratory tests found high methanol levels in drinks linked to the Ondo outbreak, and pharmacists now want regulation to cover the whole production chain, not just finished products.
Key facts
- NAFDAC reports 48 deaths and 182 cases as of 17 September; Ondo’s health commissioner later cited 49 deaths.
- Tests found high methanol concentrations in samples, and 11 of 15 also tested positive for cannabis.
- Fifteen people have been arrested, and Ondo is reviewing its rules.
- The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria’s Board of Fellows wants labelling, testing and traceability requirements.
The Board of Fellows of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (BOF-PSN) has called for stricter regulation, standardisation and quality control of herbal products and locally made alcoholic concoctions. Its call follows an outbreak in Ondo State that NAFDAC has linked to methanol contamination.
The toll
NAFDAC says 182 cases and 48 deaths were recorded as of 17 September, and Ondo’s health commissioner later put the toll at 49. Of those affected, 90 were admitted and discharged, 31 were treated as outpatients and six remained in hospital. Five people are totally blind and two partially blind.
Cases are concentrated in Odigbo Local Government Area, with Odigbo Town and Araromi-Obu worst hit, and have also been reported in neighbouring Irele. Police have arrested 15 people over the suspected production, sale and distribution of the drinks.
What the tests show
NAFDAC tested 15 unlabelled samples using gas chromatography, microbiological examination and toxicity tests on mice. The laboratory work confirmed high methanol concentrations, and about half the mice exposed to six of the samples died.
“These findings require immediate regulatory intervention to prevent further harm,” NAFDAC said.
Confirmatory tests are continuing. Investigators have yet to establish where the methanol came from, who made the drinks or how they spread. Locals told the Associated Press they suspected a herbal drink known as Monkey Tail, but that has not been confirmed.
What pharmacists want
The Board wants rules covering product testing, good manufacturing practice, ingredient disclosure, labelling, dosage and safety information, alcohol content, and traceability of manufacturers and distributors.
BOF-PSN chairman Uche Apakama said deliberate contamination should attract legal sanctions. Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, who chairs the Board’s Committee on Drug and Substance Abuse, warned that the word “herbal” does not guarantee a product is safe.
Ondo moves on its own rules
Ondo had already banned the sale of unverified alcoholic drinks on 13 September. On 20 September, Attorney-General Olukayode Ajulo announced a review of the rules on preparing, producing, selling and consuming locally made herbal and alcoholic products.
Why it matters for the drinks industry
An informal concoction can be mixed and sold locally with no ingredient list, alcohol strength or traceable producer. When something goes wrong, tracing the source is far harder than with a registered beverage.
The commercial impact on formal brands is hard to measure, since the affected products do not necessarily compete in the same channels. But regulators are already tightening enforcement across the sector, and Ondo puts a harder question to them. Can rules aimed at registered manufacturers reach drinks that never enter the formal system?
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