NAFDAC Warns Imo Medicine Dealers Against Fake, Expired and Unregistered Drugs

OWERRI, NIGERIA  — The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned NAFDAC Imo medicine dealers against selling counterfeit, expired and unregistered drugs, saying violators face closure, forfeiture of products and prosecution, Peoples Gazette reported on 6 November, citing the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by South-East Zonal Director Festus Ukadike, gave the warning on Friday at a sensitisation workshop in Owerri on pharmacovigilance and safe drug distribution. The workshop targeted members of the Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED).

“Any unregistered product is fake. If you sell unregistered products, it means you are selling fake products,” Adeyeye said. “Expired medicines have no second life.”

What NAFDAC Imo medicine dealers were told

NAFDAC criticised practices including reviving expired shelf dates, altering labels and buying from unreliable itinerant suppliers who offer steep discounts. Banned products named include high-dose tramadol variants and discontinued or expired oral suspensions, according to the report.

The agency said it uses intelligence-driven surveillance and handheld digital scanners to track supply chains and close non-compliant premises. Penalties include business closure, product forfeiture, administrative sanctions and criminal prosecution.

Cletus Agwu, an assistant chief regulatory officer, lectured NAFDAC Imo medicine dealers on Good Storage and Distribution Practices and told wholesalers to buy only from authorised manufacturers and distributors. “Whatever is not documented is not done,” he said.

Helen Okanya, NAFDAC’s state coordinator, spoke on pharmacovigilance and urged dealers to report adverse drug reactions and substandard medicines through the MedSafety App.

Training beyond Owerri

Similar sensitisation programmes were held in the Okigwe and Orlu senatorial districts, according to the report. Cyprian Okonkwo, NAPPMED state chairman, pledged to share the training with vendors in all 27 local government areas of Imo State.

Patent and proprietary medicine vendors are licensed to sell a limited list of over-the-counter medicines. In many communities, especially rural areas, they are the first and sometimes only source of medicines and health advice, which makes their practices central to medicine safety.

Patent medicine vendors are regulated by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, which licenses them to stock a restricted list of medicines, while NAFDAC regulates the products themselves. Training sessions such as the Owerri workshop are meant to help vendors spot suspicious products, store medicines correctly and understand which items they are not permitted to sell.

Why fake and expired medicines are dangerous

Falsified medicines may contain the wrong ingredient, too little active ingredient, or none at all. Substandard medicines may be genuine products that have degraded because of poor storage, heat or age. Both can lead to treatment failure, worsening illness and death.

Expired medicines may lose strength, and some can become harmful. Relabelling expired stock with new dates deceives patients and health workers, who cannot tell from the packaging that the product is past its safe period.

Antibiotics that are substandard or taken in incomplete doses also contribute to antimicrobial resistance, which makes common infections harder to treat. Antimalarials, antibiotics and medicines for hypertension and diabetes are among those most often affected by falsification in the region.

Storage matters as much as sourcing. Many medicines must be kept away from heat, humidity and direct sunlight, and shops without proper shelving, ventilation or cold storage can allow genuine products to degrade before they are sold, which is why NAFDAC emphasised Good Storage and Distribution Practices.

High-dose tramadol has been linked to widespread misuse and addiction among young people in Nigeria. NAFDAC restricted the importation and sale of high-strength tramadol in 2018, and seizures continue at ports and markets.

How patients can protect themselves

Patients can reduce risk by buying medicines from licensed pharmacies and registered outlets, checking that packs carry a NAFDAC registration number, looking at batch numbers and expiry dates, and avoiding unusually cheap products from street hawkers. Some products carry scratch-off codes that can be verified by text message.

Anyone who suspects a fake product or experiences an unexpected side effect can report it to NAFDAC through the MedSafety App or the agency’s reporting channels. Reports help the agency trace supply chains, issue alerts and remove dangerous products.

Pharmacists and pharmacist groups have repeatedly called for stronger regulation of the drug distribution chain, including the closure of open drug markets and full implementation of coordinated wholesale centres.

NAFDAC has carried out several seizures of expired medicines in different states this year. The agency said it would continue surveillance in Imo, and the impact of the training on NAFDAC Imo medicine dealers will depend on enforcement and on vendors’ willingness to report suspicious products.

 

 

 

Why it matters: Patent medicine shops are often the first stop for care, so fake or expired stock there can cause treatment failure and deaths.

 

 

Source: Peoples Gazette (NAN), November 2026.