NAFDAC bans manufacture and sale of 101 drugs nationwide

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has delisted 101 medicines and health products from circulation in Nigeria, citing withdrawals, suspensions, and cancellations of registration licences.

In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said the affected drugs are no longer permitted for manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale, or use in the country.

According to NAFDAC, some of the products were voluntarily withdrawn by market authorisation holders, while others were suspended or cancelled after the conditions under which they were licensed were no longer met.

The agency explained that a suspension applies when licence conditions lapse, while a cancellation occurs when NAFDAC revokes a product’s licence.

The delisted items cut across several categories, including antimalarials, cough syrups, vaccines, insulin and growth hormone injectables, diabetes medicines, inhalers, and eye drops.

Among the most notable are Flagyl suspension and tablets, commonly prescribed for diarrhoea; Penicillin G Sodium Sandoz powder, used to treat bacterial infections; and Artemether/Lumefantrine, a widely used antimalarial.

Other products include Elisca eye drops, Januvia/Janumet for diabetes management, and Norditropin growth hormone injections.

The development is raising concerns within the health sector about access to essential medicines, given the high dependence of Nigerians on some of the affected drugs for common conditions.

“This is to inform the general public that the following products are approved for withdrawal, suspension and cancellation by NAFDAC,” the statement read.

“They are therefore no longer permitted for manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use within Nigeria.”

See the full list here: https://nafdac.gov.ng/list-of-products-withdrawn-by-nafdac/