The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has raised an alert about the circulation of counterfeit Combiart Dispersible Tablet 20/120mg, a popular anti-malaria drug, in Nigeria.
NAFDAC disclosed this on Thursday through a post on its official X account, stating that the counterfeit drugs were discovered during surveillance in the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers State.
“The laboratory analysis revealed that the fake product contained no active pharmaceutical ingredients. It also had two different manufacturing dates: June 2023 and February 2023, with expiry dates of May 2026 and June 2026,” NAFDAC said.
The product’s registration number, batch number, and manufacturer details were found to be fraudulent. According to the agency, the NAFDAC licence for the original product had expired, and the registration number did not belong to the drug.
“The Artemether and Lumefantrine combination is used to treat malaria. However, this counterfeit version poses significant health risks as its safety, quality, and effectiveness cannot be guaranteed,” the agency warned.
NAFDAC identified the product’s batch number as 7225119 and stated that the fake drugs were falsely labelled as being manufactured by Strides Arcolab Limited in India.
The agency has ordered its zonal directors and state coordinators to remove the counterfeit drugs from circulation. Importers, retailers, and healthcare professionals have been urged to remain cautious and check the authenticity of medical products before distribution or use.
“All medical products should be purchased from authorised suppliers. Consumers and healthcare providers must carefully inspect the physical condition of the drugs,” NAFDAC advised.
NAFDAC urged anyone who suspects they have encountered fake or substandard medicines to report to the nearest NAFDAC office, call their hotline at 0800-162-3322, or email [email protected]. Reports of side effects can also be made via the Med-Safety app or emailed to [email protected].
The agency stated that this alert would also be shared with the World Health Organisation’s Global Surveillance and Monitoring System to prevent further distribution of the counterfeit drugs.
