NAFDAC Issues Public Alert Over Substandard Foreign Medicines As Regulatory Pressure Mounts In Nigeria

ABUJA, NIGERIA — The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued Public Alert No. 038/2026 warning the Nigerian public, importers, distributors, and healthcare providers against four substandard and adulterated pharmaceutical products recalled by international regulators.

​The public health warning follows a formal recall by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) involving specific batches of Nitras tablets, Kadin 2 tablets, Acefyl cough syrup, and Loratadine 24 tablets after laboratory tests revealed significant quality defects, contamination, and failure to meet required safety standards. NAFDAC warned that using these compromised pharmaceuticals poses severe medical risks—including reduced therapeutic efficacy, treatment failure, and acute organ complications for patients managing cardiac conditions, severe allergies, muscle spasms, and respiratory illnesses.

​In response to the international alert, NAFDAC has instructed its zonal directors and state coordinators to intensify nationwide surveillance to prevent the recalled batches from entering Nigerian supply chains. The agency urged healthcare practitioners and consumers to purchase medications exclusively from authorized, licensed vendors and report suspected counterfeit drugs via its dedicated toll-free helpline (0800-162-3322) or official email channels.

​The alert comes amid growing public frustration and media scrutiny over the proliferation of fake consumer goods across Nigerian markets, ranging from falsified toothpastes to chemically adulterated palm oil. Civil society advocates and consumer watchdogs continue to pressure regulatory authorities, including NAFDAC and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), demanding proactive market sweeping, tighter import controls, and strict legal prosecution of counterfeit syndicates to safeguard public health.