The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has warned Nigerians over the circulation of counterfeit cancer medicines, including Avastin and Tecentriq, across the country.
Nigerian State News
In a public alert, the agency said it is “notifying healthcare professionals and the public of confirmed counterfeit batches of Avastin 400mg/16ml (Bevacizumab) and Tecentriq 1200mg/20ml (Atezolizumab) circulating in Nigeria”.
The warning followed communication from Roche Nigeria, which reported multiple complaints from healthcare professionals nationwide regarding suspected fake products. In several cases, patients reportedly presented the medicines at hospitals after purchasing them at unusually low prices, ranging between N180,000 and N350,000.
“The Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH) reported receiving complaints from healthcare professionals across Nigeria,” the alert stated. “On investigation, the MAH (Roche Nigeria) compared the complaint samples to the genuine retained samples. The findings have provided clear evidence of counterfeit packaging material of the reported products.”
