Nigeria warns of falsified pregnancy medicine

Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said that a falsified version of an oxytocin product has been discovered as part of a routine sampling exercise.

The unregistered product – Gold Vision Oxytocin injection 10IU, purportedly manufactured by Anhui Hongye Pharmaceutical and distributed by Nigerian company Gold Vision Medicals – had a fake NAFDAC registration number (A4-9566) on its packaging.

Subsequent investigations uncovered three more falsified oxytocin products, branded as A-tocin, Extocin, and Claxitodin, which were also labelled as being made by Anhui Hongye Pharmaceutical.

Oxytocin is a naturally occurring hormone and neuropeptide, also available as a pharmaceutical drug, primarily used to induce or strengthen labour, control postpartum bleeding, and support lactation.

"Using unregistered or falsified oxytocin injections pose serious health risks to both mothers and newborns," said the regulator in its alert.

"These products may contain incorrect doses, no active ingredient, or harmful contaminants, leading to ineffective uterine contractions, postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), and even maternal death. Poor-quality oxytocin may also delay or fail to stop bleeding after childbirth, increasing the need for emergency interventions like blood transfusions or surgery."