Godsent Ogbebor
NAFDAC Moves Against Counterfeit, Poor-Quality Medicines With 101-Drug Ban
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has intensified its clampdown on counterfeit and substandard medicines by withdrawing, suspending, or cancelling 101 pharmaceutical products from circulation in Nigeria.
The announcement, made Tuesday via the agency’s official X handle, ordered an immediate stop to the manufacture, importation, distribution, advertisement, and sale of the affected drugs. NAFDAC stated that the move was part of efforts to protect public health and ensure only safe and effective medicines are available to Nigerians.
The products, listed on the agency’s website, include well-known drugs such as Abacavir, Amlodipine, several formulations of artemether/lumefantrine used for malaria, valsartan products for heart conditions, Norditropin growth hormone injectables, Januvia and Janumet for diabetes, as well as a range of inhalers and eye drops.
Read also:
NAFDAC Destroys Over N1 Trillion Worth of Fake Drugs in Anambra
NAFDAC Seizes N20.5 Billion Worth of Fake Drugs and Tomato Paste at Onne Port, Rivers State
NAFDAC Raises Alarm Over Deadly Fake Oxytocin Injections in Nigeria
NAFDAC explained that the affected registrations were either voluntarily discontinued by the market authorisation holders or sanctioned for failing to meet licensing conditions. Some were also cancelled outright in line with the agency’s regulatory powers.
The directive underscores mounting concerns over drug safety worldwide. The World Health Organisation estimates that one in ten medicines in low- and middle-income countries may be fake or of poor quality, posing serious risks to public health.
With the new action, NAFDAC urged pharmacists, doctors, and the general public to strictly adhere to the updated list to prevent harmful drugs from circulating and to sustain confidence in Nigeria’s drug regulation system.
