Nigeria Shuts Down Codeine Manufacturing Firms

Nigeria's food and drugs agency has shut down three companies manufacturing cough syrup containing highly-addictive codeine, Punch newspaper reports.

Mojisola Adeyeye, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration director, said in statement the decision follows an investigation by her agency.

She said Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Limited, Bioraj Pharmaceutical Limited and Emzor Pharmaceuticals would be shut.

However, they could reopen at a later date - although this "will depend on the level of cooperation that is shown during the comprehensive investigation".

Nigeria had announced a ban on the production and import of cough syrup containing codeine after a BBC investigation into its role in an addiction epidemic.