The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued an urgent directive for a nationwide mop-up of pharmaceutical products manufactured by Europharm Nigeria Limited. The enforcement action follows laboratory analysis revealing that several of the company’s products contain significantly low Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) levels and have failed multiple quality stability tests.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, stated that the recall is a preemptive measure to protect public health from ineffective medications that could lead to treatment failure and increased drug resistance.
The crackdown was triggered by routine post-market surveillance and laboratory testing, which flagged several batches of Europharm products as “substandard and falsified.”
Current testing revealed that the actual amount of the active medicinal ingredient in several syrups and tablets was far below the dosage stated on the packaging.
Some products showed signs of physical degradation and failed to maintain their chemical integrity under standard storage conditions.
Low API content is particularly dangerous as it results in “under-dosing,” which fails to cure the ailment and, in the case of antibiotics or anti-malarials, can lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
While a full list of batch numbers is being circulated to zonal offices, the mop-up focuses primarily on, Pediatric Syrups (Cough and Cold formulations), Analgesics (Painkillers) and Antimalarial Treatments
[!IMPORTANT] Action for Consumers: NAFDAC advises members of the public to stop the administration of any Europharm products immediately. If you have purchased these medications, return them to the nearest NAFDAC office or the point of purchase.
This latest enforcement action underscores the persistent challenge of pharmaceutical quality control in Nigeria’s vast and fragmented drug market.
The mop-up also demonstrates NAFDAC’s increased reliance on Post-Marketing Surveillance (PMS). By catching these failures after they hit the shelves, the agency is showing its ability to monitor the supply chain beyond the initial registration phase.
Europharm is a long-standing local manufacturer. A failure of this scale raises concerns about the rising costs of raw materials (APIs are largely imported) and whether some manufacturers are cutting corners to stay afloat amidst inflation.
NAFDAC continues to push for the use of the Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) and the Green Book app to help consumers verify the registration status of drugs instantly, though these tools primarily check for registration rather than the specific chemical potency of a batch.
NAFDAC has warned that any pharmacy or patent medicine store found selling the blacklisted batches after this notice will face severe sanctions, including the permanent sealing of their premises.
