•Counterfeit drugs, wines, cosmetics killing thousands annually
•Responsible for increase in kidney failure
•One out of 10 drugs, wines on shelves fake
•Killing legitimate businesses, manufacturers
Information Officer Taye Ogundiji is fortunate to be alive. He was smiling while recounting his encounter with counterfeit malaria drugs but deep inside, he was boiling with rage.
Ogundiji, 45, is angered by the societal degeneration that has made a monster out of a people whose consciences are dead. He is livid with the system that has allowed criminals and merchants of death to masquerade their weapons as tablets and charming wines on public shelves. He cannot fathom how Nigerians would wrap up poison to become daily doses for fellow citizens and still afford to sleep at night.
On the other hand, Ogundiji, who works with a government agency in Ibadan-Oyo State, is grateful that he is alive to tell his story, unlike thousands of others who have lost their lives to counterfeit drugs and drinks.
He chronicled the event of 2015 in a solemn voice. “I am prone to malaria and used to go to hospital a lot – at least once in three months. Having gotten accustomed to a brand of malaria drug prescribed by doctors at the hospital, I stopped going there and resorted to self-medication.
That was where his problem started.
“Whenever I feel feverish I would go to a particular chemist shop near my house to procure the drug and self-administer it.”
Ogundiji said he was into off-the-counter self-medication for many years. He became a perennial abuser of Maloxin malaria drug for years until early 2015 when the habit nearly took his life.
The more the drug became inactive in his body, the more he administered doses. Unknown to him he had been swallowing counterfeit tablets. “The more I ingested the tablets, the more I got worse. I began to lose appetite and with it my weight plunged. Oftentimes I would force myself to eat but it wasn’t nourishing my body. I felt dizzy and weightless and sometimes I felt ache in my bones.”
This went on for many weeks.
“In between, I traveled on official duty to Europe and spent four weeks. The cold region nearly killed me as I experienced pains in my joints but I did not take it seriously. Then, I tried to buy drugs across the counter but was refused. I was told to go to the hospital and bring a doctor’s prescription.”
It took that overseas recommendation to bring the 45-year-old back to his senses.
“On getting back to Nigeria, the first thing I did was to go to the hospital. I was diagnosed with acute malaria. I was in bad shape and was admitted the same day. With a combination of injection and oral drugs, I regained my health in two weeks. I was informed that the drug I have been taking was a sham and it would have killed me if I had not sought proper medical attention.”
Lagos-based architect Simon Daramola, began to feel throbbing pains in his kidney area in 2022.
He suspected immediately that he must have been taking a substance that didn’t sit well with his system. The problem, as he would find out, was caused by the ingestion of fake red wine.
Daramola, 52, is not a heavy drinker but indulges in red wine at home once in a while.
“I don’t go out to parties but I love to take wine in the comfort of my home. I can take a bottle of wine on a good day. Sometimes I share it with my wife. Whenever I take it I notice that I feel a discomfort in my lower abdomen sometimes tugging from the side.”
When the pains became regular, he quickly went to the hospital for a check-up.
“Several tests were carried out to analyze the symptoms. According to the tests, I had ingested toxins found in fake beverages, which cause inflammation and scarring of the liver, leading to liver damage, and kidney damage, by increasing the risk of kidney stones, leading to kidney failure.”
Determined to get to the bottom of the matter, he called for a lab test on the red wines on his shelves and lo and behold, they turned out fake. He had been consuming substances inimical to his health and the poison had been destroying him gradually – from the inside.
The merchant of death was the owner of the biggest liquor store in his neighbourhood. He said he has been patronizing the store for all his wines for more than two years since he discovered that they had assortments of wines which were cheap. “A lot of people patronize this store. It is the biggest in the community and its drinks are cheap.”
Daramola quickly alerted officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) who swiftly put him out of business.
“I took the drink to NAFDAC, they did their test, confirmed what I had known, and shut down the store. The owner of the place was also arrested,” he added.
GRIM STATISTICS
Unlike Daramola and Ogundiji, many have succumbed to the scourge of fake drugs and beverages that have become endemic in the country.
GLOBAL CRISIS
Admittedly, fake drug and beverages is a global crisis that is spreading in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In a 2024 study, the World Health Organization (WHO) found that as many as 500,000 people die every year in the region due to counterfeit drugs. Additionally, between 72,430 and 169,271 children die annually from pneumonia after taking counterfeit antibiotics. The study also revealed that as many as 267,000 deaths occur each year due to substandard malaria drugs.
Sadly, Nigeria is among the countries atop the list of counterfeit drug producers and users.
WHO further revealed that one of every 10 medicines is substandard or fake. It added that between $12 million and $44.7 million is spent each year treating people who have used counterfeit or substandard malaria drugs.
FROM PFIZER TO NESTLE
Lev Kubiak, Vice President at Pfizer, a leading world pharmaceutical company, confirmed that Pfizer medicines are counterfeited worldwide. “Working with law enforcement and customs agencies around the world over the last 18 years, Pfizer’s Product Integrity for Patient Safety program has helped take over 302 million doses of counterfeit Pfizer medicines out of the international supply chain before they reached and endangered patients. Counterfeit Pfizer medicines have now been seized in 116 countries around the world, so they are a pervasive and growing global threat to patients everywhere.”
Equally, beverage giant Nestlé in 2023 alerted that fake Nescafé products, one of its famous beverages, are in circulation.
The release read in part: “We would like to remind our consumers to exercise caution and avoid engaging in any scam related to Nescafé products; we do not require anyone to market our products on social media. These scams could include counterfeit Nescafé products that do not meet the quality standards of Nescafé, and any such products may pose health risks to consumers. We urge our consumers to purchase Nescafé products only from authorised sellers and reputable retailers to ensure the quality and safety of our products. If you receive text messages, telephonic calls, and emails from anyone claiming to be from Nestlé or Nescafé, please do not click on any links or provide any personal information. Instead, engage with verified Nestlé or Nescafé personnel. Nestlé is committed to providing our consumers with high-quality products that meet their expectations and needs, and we remain vigilant in protecting our consumers from fraudulent activities.”
WORSE IN NIGERIA
The account is not different in Nigeria.
In 2022, the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), which is charged with primary health welfare delivery under the Federal Ministry of Health, stated that about 70% of drugs distributed in the country are substandard or counterfeit.
Dr. Michael Omoke, a doctor with over a decade of experience, told The Nation Newspaper that the problem of counterfeit medicine is worsening as medications flood the market without adequate oversight from authorities.
He warned that “in a country where anyone can wake up, manufacture, and sell drugs without a license, you are sure to find a good percentage of fake drugs.
“Hospitals in Nigeria over the past years admitted more than a thousand victims of adverse drug reactions such as rashes, pain, difficulty in breathing, and even death due to fake drug use,” Omoke added.
NAFDAC SEIZURES
Omoke’s claim is not far from those of NAFDAC.
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The agency has reported that the prevalence of counterfeit and substandard medicines in the country reached 16% in 2019. As a result, it has established a six-year objective to decrease this rate to below the global average of 10% by 2025.
Five years later, the figure has not diminished; on the contrary, it is escalating at an alarming rate.
The development crept into 2023 and continued into 2024, intensifying with each passing day.
Last December, NAFDAC conducted a major operation in the Southeast, seizing and destroying fake drinks worth N750 million and arresting 10 culprits. The operation involved the destruction of about 240 shops in Abia State, particularly targeting counterfeiters in Eziukwu Market (Cemetery Market), Aba.
The counterfeiters were involved in the production of a variety of beverages, including wines, soft drinks, and consumables. Some of the counterfeit products included a wide range of brands such as Seaman Schnapps, Hennessy, Four Cousins, Carlo Rossi, Jenney, Chelsea London Dry Gin, Schnapp Dry Gin, McDowells, Black Labels, Gordons, Martell, Campari, Smirnoff Ice, Eva Non-Alcoholic Drink, Cartel, and others.
While 300 cartons were evacuated to NAFDAC warehouse, due to the sheer magnitude of illegality going on in the section of the market, NAFDAC had to shut the entire place down for thorough regulatory activity until an agreement was reached with all stakeholders and signed that they would never be used for such nefarious activities anymore.
Similarly, in May of this year, NAFDAC busted a fake alcohol manufacturing factory in Badagry, Lagos State, where N50 million phony drinks were destroyed.
Disclosing this on its X handle, NAFDAC said the operation targeted one Chinedu Okafor, who was running an illicit drinks manufacturing operation from his residence.
The statement read: “NAFDAC enforcement officers, aided by intelligence from the Nigerian Army’s 15 Field Engineering Regiment in Badagry, dismantled the operations of Mr. Chinedu Okafor, an illegal drinks manufacturer operating from his residence at No. 24, MTN Road, Badagry.
“Okafor’s suspicious activities caught the attention of the Nigerian Army, leading to his arrest and subsequent handover to NAFDAC officers at the Ports Inspection Directorate, Seme Border.
“Upon inspection, officers evacuated all equipment and materials used in the production of illicit drinks, effectively shutting down the illegal factory.”
Yet, in August, NAFDAC arrested three suspects during a raid on an illegal alcohol production facility in the Lagos Island area of Lagos State.
In a statement on X.com, NAFDAC stated that acting on credible intelligence, its enforcement officers raided several packing stores and rooms in the Oke-Arin market, where they discovered makeshift factories used for producing various alcoholic beverages.During the raid, over 2,000 cartons of empty bottles and already packaged drinks were seized, along with a mini plastic mixing tank, an improvised filter, and various packaging materials.
In October, NAFDAC long arms spread to FCT Abuja, where counterfeit cosmetics worth ₦37million were seized during coordinated raids across several supermarkets and open markets, including Wuse and Garki markets.
In March the Lagos State Police Command also raided a fake drink factory in the Agege, Lagos area and arrested four suspects connected to the illegal factory.
The latest seizure came barely days ago on Oct 9, 2024, when expired and substandard drugs worth over N10 billion were confiscated and destroyed in the Northeast state of Gombe.
Kenneth Azikwe, North-East Zonal coordinator of the agency, said the products destroyed included substandard, fake, and falsely labeled medicines, unwholesome food products, and cosmetics, among others.
“These products, if allowed to circulate, could have caused untold harm to countless individuals. By removing them from circulation, we are taking a decisive stand against those who seek to profit at the expense of public safety.”
Between 2023 and 2024, these seizures amounted to billions of naira.
A FRUITFUL GROUND
Ade Thomas, a pharmacist based in Ogun State is of the opinion that the country and communities breed a system that makes fake drugs and beverages fruitful and profitable.
“When you get to an average Lagos market you will know what I’m talking about. You will observe the bustling nature of every market. There isn’t any orderliness and there you will find all kinds of hawkers and drug merchants. You will see them selling all kinds of drugs from locally-made herbs to medicines and they have people patronizing them. These people are not pharmacists and they don’t know anything about what they are selling, yet people flock to them. Now, what kind of drug do you expect from them? Fake drugs, of course. I can tell you that about 70% of drugs distributed in Nigeria are substandard or counterfeit.”
Mrs. Damola Korede, a nurse in the primary health sector, said the economic downturn coupled with high inflation has affected the purchasing power of most Nigerians.
“With about 133 million Nigerians living in poverty, most people cannot afford the rising cost of drugs so they go for whatever is available, which is the fake drug sold by quacks.”
HAZARD OF FAKE DRUG
Dr. Omoke said that aside from the fatal reality of death, taking adulterated drugs and drinks will set a nation backward economically and health-wise.
“In the area of health, taking these substances can lead to ill health. they can cause nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, drowsiness, dizziness, blue-tinged or pale skin, irregular or slow breathing, low body temperature, unconsciousness, or passing out. It can also lead to kidney and liver failure or even death. Methanol, a substance that can be used in fake vodka, may cause permanent blindness.
WHO in their Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health estimated that more than three million people died all over the world as a result of alcohol poisoning. Furthermore, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) ascertained that one of every 10 cancer cases in Nigeria can be traced to alcohol, and 4.7 percent of overall cancer cases in Nigeria in 2019 can be attributed to consumption of adulterated alcohol.”
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES
Substandard and falsified medicines affect health directly and pose a danger to individual patients and to public health, argued Dr. Omoke.
“Treatment with substandard and falsified drugs wastes time and money, raising drug costs to patients and the health system. Drug resistance reduces the effective life of a drug, and society must bear the cost of new drug development.”
He added that compromised drug supply causes consumers to lose confidence in medicine, health care providers, and national regulatory agencies.
LEADING PHARMACEUTICALS COMPANIES LEAVING
In the same vein, Digital Health expert ‘Femi Banjo said the explosion of counterfeiters in Nigeria is counterproductive for bonafide pharmaceuticals and manufacturers. “The result is that legitimate businesses will lose revenue and consequently cease operations. This will result in widespread job losses and have a severe impact on healthcare.”
He said: “The recent exits of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi raise critical questions about the viability of the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria. Economic challenges, regulatory hurdles, and the persistent issue of counterfeit drugs have contributed to an environment where sustaining operations becomes increasingly difficult for multinational pharmaceutical giants.
“The alarming presence of counterfeit drugs in Nigeria is a silent epidemic that jeopardizes the health and well-being of its citizens. Adulterated medications not only compromise treatment efficacy but also pose severe risks, leading to treatment failure, adverse reactions, and even loss of life. The closure of major pharmaceutical players accentuates the urgency of addressing this issue because most counterfeits will see this as an opportunity to push out theirs.
The iWello Medical Writer added: “Consider Ade, a diligent father seeking medication for his daughter’s recurring illness. Unknown to him, the patent medicine seller he trusted unknowingly stocked counterfeit antibiotics. The consequences were dire, with his daughter’s condition worsening until she was admitted to the hospital.”
It is recalled that in August 2023, GSK Consumer Nigeria Plc, the second-biggest drug producer in Nigeria, ceased operation in the country by terminating its marketing and distribution agreement and appointed third-party distributors to sell their medications and vaccines.
Evans Medicals, Procter and Gamble, PZ Cussons Plc, and Sanofi-Aventis have also shut down their operations in Nigeria.
Nonetheless, Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC boss said amidst the exit of multinational pharmaceutical companies from Nigeria, a total of 105 local applications for the construction and erection of drug manufacturing facilities have been approved across the country.
The regulatory agency said the approved applications, which were selected from a total of 143, meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and NAFDAC GMP for Medicinal Products Regulations 2021.
Adeyeye added that 35 percent of the approved applications have completed construction and are at different stages in the registration stream as prescribed by extant NAFDAC’s guidelines on the establishment of pharmaceutical plants in Nigeria.
The agency also revealed that over 20 newly registered local drug manufacturers have cumulatively invested over $2 billion in the erection and completion of WHO-compliant facilities that manufacture quality pharmaceuticals and essential medicines for Nigerians.
This figure, according to NAFDAC, represents an increase of 12 percent in the number of active local manufacturers.
On the other hand, what she may not mention is the greater odds that counterfeiters will double and the price of drugs will skyrocket.
WHO BEARS THE BRUNT?
Dr. Lekan Ajisafe, who runs a private hospital in Akure, said children, women, and the downtrodden bear the brunt of counterfeit menace in the country.
“The situation is made more difficult due to the downturn in the economy. A lot of Nigerians are living in poverty and can’t afford to eat, how will they afford genuine drugs, whose prices are pushing up day by day?
He pointed to the direction of children and women who depend on breadwinners to cater to their daily needs. “These set of people will look for alternatives in the area of unverified herbs and drugs thereby pushing higher incidences of ill health.”
He further linked the increase experienced in terminal diseases such as cancer, and liver and kidney failures to substandard and fake medicines and drinks.
For instance, since the exit of GSK, a leading manufacturer of inhalers for asthma patients, the price of inhalers has gone up astronomically.
Thomas confirmed that the price of the GSK Inhaler, which was previously N5000, jumped to N15, 000 in January. “As I’m talking to you if you don’t have between N35, 000 and N40, 000, you cannot buy a GSK inhaler.”
CONSUMER PROTECTION
He added that the government and its agencies need to do more to minimize counterfeit drugs. “I love the fact that NAFDAC now enters shops to raid them of counterfeit products. It is a good sign and it would deter retail dealers from patronizing fakers.
“They should also conduct more awareness campaigns, especially targeting end users who may not be able to identify counterfeit products. People need to know how to check packaging and labels, verify the authenticity of drugs, and be informed about the medications they are prescribed. Additionally, they must know how and where to report suspected counterfeit products. This information should be common knowledge, such as a toll-free number to call and having officers available at all times to respond to reports” Ajisafe added.