The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has warned Nigerians over the circulation of counterfeit cancer medicines, including Avastin and Tecentriq, across the country.
In a public alert, the agency said it is “notifying healthcare professionals and the public of confirmed counterfeit batches of Avastin 400mg/16ml (Bevacizumab) and Tecentriq 1200mg/20ml (Atezolizumab) circulating in Nigeria”.
The warning followed communication from Roche Nigeria, which reported multiple complaints from healthcare professionals nationwide regarding suspected fake products. In several cases, patients reportedly presented the medicines at hospitals after purchasing them at unusually low prices, ranging between N180,000 and N350,000.
“The Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) reported receiving complaints from healthcare professionals across Nigeria,” the alert stated. “On investigation, the MAH (Roche Nigeria) compared the complaint samples to the genuine retained samples. The findings have provided clear evidence of counterfeit packaging material of the reported products.”
NAFDAC identified key discrepancies in the counterfeit medicines, including batch numbers that do not match authentic records, poor printing quality, incorrect text placement, and inconsistent serialisation and tamper-evident labels.
The agency listed specific counterfeit batches of Avastin with numbers H4239A70, H2290A34, and A3508B02, as well as Tecentriq with batch number B3071A12. It noted that chemical analysis could not be conducted because the investigation relied on packaging photographs submitted by complainants, with no physical samples available.
NAFDAC warned that counterfeit oncology drugs “may contain incorrect or no active ingredients, harmful contaminants, or incorrect dosage strength”, adding that their use could result in “treatment failure, disease progression, serious adverse events, or death”. The agency said it has directed its zonal directors and state coordinators to intensify surveillance efforts and remove the counterfeit products from circulation.
It also urged importers, distributors, healthcare professionals and patients to remain vigilant and to source medicines only from authorised suppliers, while encouraging the public to report suspected cases through its official channels.
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