Nigerian regulator seizes fake antimalarials in market raid

Nigerian authorities have seized fake antimalarials and other drugs worth $15,000 in a raid on a market.

The Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) raided the market in Enugu after receiving a tip-off about the sale of counterfeit pharmaceuticals.

Udekpo Ekpo, acting head, south-east zone at NAFDAC, said: "This exercise was actually necessitated by reports that there are some fake brands of anti-malarial drugs in the market. Some of them are in the market without NAFDAC registration number."

Widely used malaria drug Lonat DS (artemether/lumefantrine) was among the products seized by NAFDAC. Counterfeit antimalarials are a particular problem as they increase the likelihood of treatment-resistance strains evolving.

Ekpo invited the sellers of the pharmaceuticals to the NAFDAC office for further action, Nigerian newspaper The Moment reports. The goal is to track importers of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and Ekpo hopes information from sellers can help.