The Statewide Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Command has issued a nationwide watchful over the circulation of counterfeit cancer medications, exactly Avastin and Tecentriq, warning that the fake products pose serious health risks to patients.
In a society announcement, the agency confirmed the discovery of falsified batches of Avastin 400mg/16ml (Bevacizumab) and Tecentriq 1200mg/20ml (Atezolizumab) interior to Nigeria’s pharmaceutical provide chain. Authorities highlighted discrepancies such as invalid batch numbers, inferior-standard printing, incorrect wording alignment, and irregular serialisation and tamper-proof labels.
The affected Avastin batches were identified as H4239A70, H2290A34, and A3508B02, whilst Tecentriq batch B3071A12 was moreover flagged as counterfeit. Nonetheless, the agency noted that laboratory critique could not be conducted due to the absence of tangible samples, as the examination relied on photographs submitted by complainants.
NAFDAC cautioned that fake oncology drugs could comprise invalid or no engaged ingredients, dangerous contaminants, or inaccurate dosages. Members of the community were urged to describe any suspected counterfeit medicines through legitimate NAFDAC reporting platforms.
The article NAFDAC Raises Alarm Over Fake Cancer Drugs Circulating Nationwide appeared opening on Statistics Nigeria.
It warned that such products may guide to treatment failure, worsening of illness, severe side effects, or even death.
To curb the distribute, the agency has instructed its zonal directors and situation coordinators to intensify advertise surveillance and build sure the removal of the counterfeit medicines from circulation.
It furthermore advised importers, distributors, healthcare providers, and patients to exercise caution by sourcing drugs merely from authorised channels. The warning followed reports from Roche Nigeria, which flagged numerous complaints from healthcare professionals who suspected the drugs to be fake.
According to the agency, numerous patients had presented the medicines at hospitals subsequent to purchasing them at suspiciously low prices, ranging between N180,000 and N350,000—far below usual market value.
Investigations by Roche Nigeria revealed concise differences betwixt the reported samples and fresh products, confirming the presence of counterfeit packaging materials.
Source: NAFDAC Raises Alarm Over Fake Cancer Drugs Circulating Nationwide
