By Jeremiah Aminu
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a public notice warning Nigerians concerning the circulation of fake cancer drugs across the country.
The agency disclosed that fake versions of Avastin and Tecentriq have been discovered in different parts of the country following complaints from numerous medical practitioners. According to them, many patients had already bought the drugs and presented them at medical facilities.
However, the prices ranged from N180,000 to N350,000 which was much lower than the genuine cost of the products. This, therefore, raised suspicion concerning the authenticity of the drugs.
Other irregularities covered wrong batch numbers, poor printing quality, misplaced text placement, and invalid serial numbers that did not match Roche’s standard authentication system.
The agency listed fake Avastin batches with the following numbers: H4239A70, H2290A34 and A3508B02, including Tecentriq with the batch number—B3071A12.
NAFDAC further warned that the counterfeit drugs may contain incorrect dosage, inactive ingredients, or harmful substances which could result in severe health complications, thereby leading to death.
The agency then instructed all zonal directors and state coordinators to strengthen surveillance and filter out the fake drugs from the country.
NAFDAC also advised importers, distributors, healthcare providers, and patients to obtain medicine only from authorised suppliers and urged the public to report any suspected counterfeit or substandard drug through its official channels.
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