The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians to the presence of counterfeit cancer medications in circulation, specifically Avastin and Tecentriq.
In a public notice, the agency said it received verified reports of falsified batches of Avastin 400mg/16ml and Tecentriq 1200mg/20ml after complaints from healthcare professionals across the country.
NAFDAC said the warning followed information provided by Roche Nigeria, which detected clear differences between suspected counterfeit products and authentic versions.
The agency noted that the fake drugs were often sold at unusually low prices, between N180,000 and N350,000, prompting concerns among patients and medical practitioners.
Further investigations uncovered several irregularities, including mismatched batch numbers, poor packaging quality, incorrect text placement, and inconsistent serialisation features. Identified counterfeit batches include Avastin with batch numbers H4239A70, H2290A34, and A3508B02, as well as Tecentriq batch B3071A12.
NAFDAC warned that such falsified oncology medicines may lack active ingredients or contain harmful substances, posing serious health risks such as treatment failure, worsening illness, severe side effects, or death.
The agency said it has mobilised its zonal and state officials to intensify monitoring and remove the counterfeit drugs from circulation.
It also advised importers, distributors, healthcare providers, and patients to remain cautious and procure medicines only from authorised and credible sources.
Members of the public were encouraged to report any suspected counterfeit or substandard drugs through NAFDAC’s official reporting channels.
