By Erewunmi Peace

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced the withdrawal, suspension, or cancellation of registration for 101 pharmaceutical products in Nigeria.

The full list, published on the NAFDAC website, includes some widely used medicines such as Flagyl (metronidazole) and artemether-lumefantrine combinations, which are commonly prescribed for infections and malaria treatment respectively.

Why the Delisting?

According to NAFDAC, products may be removed from its register for different reasons, including:

Safety or quality concerns

Voluntary withdrawal by manufacturers

Expired registration not renewed by the company

Regulatory decisions affecting specific formulations

For instance, the multi-dose artemether-lumefantrine oral suspension was specifically discontinued due to stability issues once reconstituted.

What It Means for Patients

It is important to note that the delisting does not necessarily mean all versions of these drugs are banned forever. Instead, it affects particular brands, batches, or formulations that no longer meet NAFDAC’s registration requirements. Other safe and approved alternatives remain available in the Nigerian market.

NAFDAC has urged healthcare providers, pharmacists, and the general public to stay updated with the official withdrawal list to avoid using affected products.

The full list of affected drugs is available on the agency’s official website: nafdac.gov.ng.