NAFDAC Sounds Alarm, Pulls 101 Drug Products From Nigerian Market

 Nigeria’s drug regulator has withdrawn, suspended or cancelled the registration certificates of 101 regulated products, barring them from manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertising, sale or use in the country.

 The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced the action in September 2025, saying the affected products had lost their regulatory approval for various reasons.

 Under Nigeria’s drug-registration regulations, NAFDAC can suspend or cancel a product when registration conditions have been breached, when required standards for quality, safety or efficacy are not being met, when a product proves ineffective for its approved indication, or when manufacturing facilities fail to comply with current Good Manufacturing Practice requirements.

 A withdrawal differs from a suspension or cancellation. NAFDAC describes withdrawal as occurring when a market authorisation holder requests that a product’s registration be discontinued. A suspension applies when registration conditions are no longer being met while the agency makes a determination, while cancellation represents revocation of the registration by NAFDAC.

 The regulatory action comes amid intensified efforts to remove fake, substandard and otherwise non-compliant products from Nigeria’s supply chain. In a separate nationwide enforcement exercise between May and July 2026, NAFDAC said it removed 7,210 non-compliant regulated products and inspected 6,233 facilities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

 NAFDAC’s latest enforcement drive underscores the regulator’s continuing focus on product quality, manufacturing standards and traceability as Nigeria battles counterfeit and substandard medicines.

 Consumers, healthcare professionals and distributors are advised to verify the regulatory status of medicines and other regulated products before purchase or use.