Friday, August 7, 2026 - NAFDAC alerts public over suspected counterfeit Forxiga diabetes drugs in Nigerian market The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians over the circulation of suspected counterfeit versions of Forxiga (dapagliflozin), warning that the use of the fake medicines could pose serious health risks.
The agency said the suspected counterfeit products were
discovered in the Nigerian market following surveillance activities carried out
by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, the manufacturer of the genuine drug.
NAFDAC disclosed the development in Public Alert No.
036/2026 published on its X handle on Thursday, August 6, stating that
AstraZeneca notified the agency after identifying products with names similar
to Forxiga® and packaging that appeared to imitate the company’s brand identity
and logo.
The agency explained that genuine Forxiga® (dapagliflozin)
is a prescription medicine used to improve blood sugar control in people living
with Type 2 diabetes, reduce cardiovascular deaths and hospitalisations among
patients with heart failure, and slow the progression of chronic kidney
disease. NAFDAC warned that counterfeit medicines could contain incorrect
ingredients, inaccurate dosage strengths, harmful contaminants or may
completely lack the active ingredient required for treatment.
“Counterfeit medicines may contain incorrect ingredients,
the wrong dosage strength, harmful contaminants, or may not contain the stated
active ingredient,” the agency stated. “Use of such products may result in
treatment failure, worsening of the underlying medical condition, adverse
health consequences, or other serious risks to patient safety.”
According to NAFDAC, the suspected counterfeit products were
identified in Eastern Nigeria. One of the products, identified as Forzigar,
carries batch number ATE-262, with a manufacturing date of March 2025 and an
expiry date of February 2028, while listing Alliaance Biotech as the
manufacturer.
The second suspected counterfeit product, Foziga, bears
batch number GIB405-, with a manufacturing date of June 2024 and an expiry date
of May 2027, and lists Medico Remedies Ltd as the manufacturer. The agency
stressed that the authentic product is marketed as Forxiga® (dapagliflozin), a
film-coated tablet manufactured by AstraZeneca.
NAFDAC said it has commenced investigations into the source
and distribution channels of the suspected counterfeit medicines, while
directing its zonal directors and state coordinators to carry out surveillance
and mop-up operations to remove any fake products from circulation.
“NAFDAC is investigating the distribution and source of the
suspected counterfeit products. All zonal directors and state coordinators have
been directed to conduct surveillance and mop-up activities to identify and
remove any counterfeit product from circulation in Nigeria,” the agency said.
The regulator advised consumers and healthcare professionals
to purchase medicines only from licensed pharmacies and authorised
distributors, while urging the public to carefully inspect drug labels and
packaging before buying or using any medication.
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