A prolonged battle in Nigeria against counterfeit medications has become even more challenging as widespread financial difficulties increase demand, experts indicate.
The magnitude of the issue was brought to light in March when authorities destroyed counterfeit drugs valued at $645 million that had been confiscated during six weeks of operations in Lagos and two southern regions.
“What we have found could ruin a nation,” said the head of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mojisola Adeyeye. “What we have found could destabilise a government.”
Efforts to combat the distribution of fake and substandard medicines in Nigeria have persisted for many years. Leaky borders and lax regulations have resulted in a scenario where medicines of uncertain quality and origin are sold in open-air street markets and thousands of unlicensed pharmacies.
In Nigeria and other nations grappling with extensive counterfeit medicine sales, the World Health Organisation has cautioned that these products present severe health dangers.
The WHO stated in December that these hazards include ineffectiveness, potential harm from toxic ingredients, and a global concern due to the potential increase in antibiotic-resistant microbial strains.
According to Tanimola Akande, a public health professor, the struggles of Nigeria’s distressed economy hinder efforts against such medications, pushing desperate individuals towards them.
Economic reforms initiated by President Bola Tinubu since his election in May 2023 have intensified the financial burden citizens face. Tinubu has eliminated a fuel subsidy and relaxed the naira exchange rate, aiming to revive the economy and draw investors.
However, with inflation reaching a three-decade peak, the naira’s value has significantly decreased while prices for goods have surged, resulting in one of Nigeria’s worst economic crises in years.
Estimates regarding the percentage of counterfeit medications in Nigeria are inconsistent.
Approximately 25 years prior, it was estimated that about 70 percent of medicines sold nationwide were counterfeit. Today, while the figure is believed to be lower, precise statistics are lacking.
The fact that NAFDAC operations collected 180 truckloads of “unregistered, banned medicines” and opioids illustrates the magnitude of the issue.
Sayo Akintola, a spokesperson for NAFDAC, informed AFP that the authorities were not prepared for such large quantities to be seized.
Another challenge in Nigeria is that major pharmaceutical corporations have withdrawn from the country due to its challenging business climate and ongoing inflation, creating a gap in the market. US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer recently closed its operations in Nigeria, while British multinational GlaxoSmithKline and French company Sanofi exited the country in 2023.
Akande noted that these departures have “worsened the supply of quality and standard drugs” available in Nigeria. As a result of these withdrawals, prices for specific medications surged by as much as 1,100 percent, according to the Lagos-based risk consulting firm SBM Intelligence.
Tinubu enacted an executive order in June 2024 to counter rising drug prices and enhance local pharmaceutical production. Nonetheless, the results have been limited.
When individuals cannot afford medications, “this can lead to disease complications and even higher rates of hospital admissions and fatalities,” Akande stated.
Akintola, the NAFDAC spokesperson, said most of the counterfeit medications confiscated during recent enforcement activities were smuggled into Nigeria, with many originating from India and China.
India, a leading global provider of generic medicines and a source of counterfeit products, is “likely one country we’ve been facing challenges with,” Akintola remarked.
The spokesperson mentioned that importers of falsified and banned drugs in Nigeria occasionally resort to violent opposition against government enforcement actions.
During a raid in Onitsha state in 2024, two NAFDAC officials narrowly avoided being lynched.
In 2010, four agency officers were kidnapped by armed individuals in Abia state—one official was killed in his residence in Imo state.
