Amoxicillin Not Banned in Nigeria, Says NAFDAC

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NÀFDAC) has denied reports it has banned Amoxicillin in Nigeria.

In a statement signed by Director General of NÀFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, the agency said its attention has been drawn to a misleading video circulating on social media claiming that the agency has secretly banned Amoxicillin in Nigeria.

Adeyeye said: “This claim is entirely FALSE. NAFDAC has not banned Amoxicillin. While the agency routinely issues targeted safety alerts and recalls on specific substandard or affected batches of medicines, there is no blanket ban on the antibiotic in Nigeria.

“We urge the public, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders to disregard the misinformation and rely only on verified updates published on NAFDAC’s official channels”.

NÀFDAC had issued targeted safety alerts on certain batches and brands of Amoxicillin which it considered substandard and unfit for public use.

It however, said the measure was targeted at particular batches of the drug and did not constitute unilateral ban of the product.