The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has delisted 101 drugs from circulation in Nigeria.
In a statement on Tuesday, the agency said the affected products are no longer permitted for manufacturing, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale, or use in the country.
NAFDAC explained that some of the products were withdrawn voluntarily at the request of market authorisation holders, while others were suspended or outrightly cancelled by the agency.
A suspension, it said, applies when the conditions under which a registration licence was issued are no longer met, while a cancellation occurs when the agency revokes a product’s licence.
Popular medicines on the list
The delisted products cut across a wide range of medicines and health items — from antimalarials and cough treatments to vaccines, insulin and growth-hormone injectables, diabetes medicines, inhalers, and eye drops.
Some widely used medicines are on the list, including:
Flagyl suspension and tablets, used to treat diarrhoea
Penicillin G Sodium Sandoz, prescribed for bacterial infections
Artemether/Lumefantrine, a frontline antimalarial
Elisca eye drops, used in treating infections
“This is to inform the general public that the following products are approved for withdrawal, suspension and cancellation by NAFDAC. They are therefore no longer permitted for manufacture, importation, exportation, distribution, advertisement, sale and use within Nigeria,” the statement reads.
“Please note that the certificate of registration of a product is said to be withdrawn when the use of the Certificate of Registration of that product is discontinued upon request of the Market Authorization Holder.”
List of affected products
Some of the delisted drugs include:
Abacavir Sulfate/Lamivudine Dispersible Tablets 60mg/30mg – withdrawn voluntarily by Healthline Limited
Amaryl M Tablets – withdrawn voluntarily by Sanofi Aventis Nigeria Ltd
Amaryl M SR Tablets – withdrawn voluntarily by Sanofi Aventis Nigeria Ltd
Aprovasc 150mg/5mg Tablets – withdrawn voluntarily by Sanofi Aventis Nigeria Ltd
Artemether/Lumefantrine 40mg/240mg Tablets – withdrawn voluntarily by Healthline Limited
ASAQ (Artesunate amodiaquine Winthrop) Tablets (various strengths) – withdrawn voluntarily by Sanofi Aventis Nigeria Ltd
Betopic Eye Drops – withdrawn voluntarily by Novartis Nigeria Limited
Coaprovel 300mg/25mg Tablets – withdrawn voluntarily by Sanofi Aventis Nigeria Ltd
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