Nigeria’s food and drug regulator has issued a public alert after falsified batches of a widely used antibiotic were found circulating in parts of Central Africa.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said that fake versions of Healmoxy Capsules 500mg were recently discovered in Cameroon and the Central African Republic. Laboratory tests show that the capsules contain none of the active ingredient — amoxicillin trihydrate — that is essential for treating bacterial infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis.
“These falsified products pose serious health risks because patients using them will not receive effective treatment,” NAFDAC said in an advisory posted on its website. “This can lead to treatment failure, the spread of infection, and potentially contribute to antimicrobial resistance.”
The counterfeit batches were labeled as having been manufactured by India-based Maxheal Pharmaceuticals, with batch numbers 023011 and H02605. However, irregularities in labeling and expiry dates were among the first signs that the products were fake, the agency said.
Although NAFDAC’s initial investigations suggest these batches have not yet been imported into Nigeria, it warned that fake medicines can easily enter local markets via informal trade routes — a persistent problem in West Africa’s pharmaceutical supply chain.
Regulators across the region have struggled to stem the flow of counterfeit and substandard medicines, which the WHO estimates cause tens of thousands of deaths annually in Africa.
NAFDAC advised Nigerian importers, distributors, pharmacists, and consumers to exercise caution and verify the authenticity of any Healmoxy products on the market. The agency also called on healthcare professionals to report suspected counterfeit drugs.
Consumers can contact NAFDAC via its toll-free hotline (+234-800-1-623322) or by email (sf.alert@nafdac.gov.ng) to report any suspicious medicines.
