The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against the use of suspected counterfeit diabetes medicines being circulated in parts of the country.
The agency, in a statement shared on its X account, said the suspected counterfeit products mimic Forxiga (dapagliflozin), a medicine manufactured by AstraZeneca and prescribed for the management of Type 2 diabetes.
NAFDAC said the fake products were discovered in the Nigerian market following surveillance by AstraZeneca, which notified the agency after identifying medicines bearing names similar to Forxiga and imitating the company’s brand identity and logo.
According to the agency, one of the suspected counterfeit products, Forzigar, carries batch number ATE-262, with a manufacturing date of March 2025 and an expiry date of February 2028.
It lists Alliance Biotech as the manufacturer. Another product, Foziga, carries batch number GIB405-, with a manufacturing date of June 2024 and an expiry date of May 2027, and lists Medico Remedies Ltd as the manufacturer.
NAFDAC warned that counterfeit medicines may contain incorrect ingredients, wrong dosage strengths, harmful contaminants or may completely lack the stated active ingredient.
It said using such products could lead to treatment failure, worsening of health conditions and other serious risks to patients.
The agency said the suspected counterfeit medicines were detected in the eastern part of Nigeria and that investigations had commenced to determine their source and distribution channels.
It added that its zonal directors and state coordinators had been directed to carry out surveillance and mop-up operations to remove the products from circulation.
NAFDAC urged consumers and healthcare professionals to purchase medicines only from licensed pharmacies and authorised distributors, while carefully checking product labels and packaging before use. It also encouraged members of the public to report suspected substandard or falsified medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office.
