The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has announced the suspension, withdrawal, or outright ban of 101 pharmaceutical products from the Nigerian market.
The agency disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, warning that the affected medicines are no longer allowed to be manufactured, imported, exported, distributed, advertised, sold, or used in the country.
“The listed products are therefore no longer permitted for manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale, and use within Nigeria,” the statement read.
Among the discontinued items are some widely used drugs such as Abacavir and Amlodipine, as well as various formulations of artemether/lumefantrine for malaria treatment, cardiovascular medicines like Valsartan, diabetes drugs including Januvia/Janumet, growth-hormone injectables like Norditropin, insulin products, inhalers, and several eye drops.
NAFDAC explained that the measures were taken for different reasons, ranging from licensing issues to voluntary withdrawals by the product’s market authorisation holders.
“The Certificate of Registration of a product may be withdrawn when its use is discontinued upon request of the Market Authorisation Holder,” the agency explained.
“It may be suspended when the conditions for approval are no longer met, or cancelled when the registration license is revoked by NAFDAC.”
The regulatory move comes amid global concerns over counterfeit and substandard medicines. A 2023 World Health Organisation report estimated that around 10 percent of medicines in low- and middle-income countries are falsified or of poor quality, underscoring the health risks posed to millions of patients.
NAFDAC urged Nigerians to consult healthcare professionals for guidance and check the agency’s website for the full list of affected drugs.
