NAFDAC lists 101 drugs that can’t be sold, imported or manufacturedBy Laraba MUREYIn a sweeping move, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has listed 101 pharmaceutical products that should immediately be taken off the shelves, can’t be manufactured, imported or distributed in Nigeria.The directive is contained in a statement released on the agency’s X handle on Tuesday.The statement stated that the affected products “are therefore no longer permitted for manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use within Nigeria.”It explained that the list of products can be accessed on the NAFDAC website.The list covers hundreds of items across medicines and health products from antimalarials (various artemether/lumefantrine formulations) and cardiovascular drugs (valsartan products) to insulin/growth-hormone injectables (Norditropin), diabetes medicines (Januvia/Janumet), inhalers and eye drops.Some the banned drugs include: Abacavir Sulfate/Lamivudine Dispersible Tablets 60mg/30mg Tablets, Coaprovel 300mg/25mg Tablets, Betopic Eye drop, Elisca eye drop, Flagyl Suspension, Flagyl Tablet 400mg, Iliadin baby 0.01% nose drops, Iliadin kids 0.025% nose drops, Lexotan 3mg Tablets amongst others.The move comes amid growing global concerns about counterfeit and substandard medicines.A 2023 World Health Organisation report estimates that up to 10 per cent of medicines in low- and middle-income countries are falsified or of poor quality.NAFDAC explained that the reasons for the sanction include licencing issues and voluntary withdrawal by the market authorisation holder.It said, “The Certificate of Registration of a product is said to be withdrawn when the use of the Certificate of Registration of that product is discontinued upon request of the Market Authorisation Holder.“The Certificate of Registration of a product may be suspended when the conditions upon which the NAFDAC Registration license was issued are no longer met, and the Agency is to make a determination.“The Certificate of Registration of a product is said to be cancelled when the NAFDAC Certificate of Registration license of that product is revoked by NAFDAC.”
