The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a public warning following the discovery of counterfeit Cialis 20mg tablets being circulated in parts of Nigeria.
According to the post shared on the agency Facebook page on Tuesday, disclosed that the alert came after Chi Pharmaceutical Ltd, the authorised marketer of Cialis 20mg film-coated tablets (NRN: 04-5196), detected the fake version during routine surveillance in Abuja.
According to NAFDAC, the counterfeit tablets, sold in open markets for as low as N8,000 per pack, differ markedly in appearance and packaging from the genuine product, which retails for about N55,000.
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The agency noted that authentic Cialis contains tadalafil, used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension, and warned that consuming counterfeit versions poses serious health risks.
“Further examination of the counterfeit product showed that it is not consistent with the authentic Cialis 20mg packaging and quality specifications, ” NAFDAC added.
Members of the public including health professionals have been encouraged to report suspected counterfeit or substandard medicines to NAFDAC offices nationwide, using this call line 0800-162-3322, or send an email to [email protected]
