The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned patent medicine dealers in Ebonyi against the sale and distribution of fake, substandard and unregistered medicines.

The agency urged the dealers to strengthen their vigilance and adopt appropriate measures to prevent dangerous medicines from reaching consumers.

The agency’s coordinator in Ebonyi, Emeka Orajaka, gave the warning in Abakaliki on Tuesday during an awareness and sensitisation meeting with members of the Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPMED) in the state.

Mr Orajaka said the engagement was aimed at educating the dealers on how to identify, prevent and report the circulation of falsified and substandard medicines. He expressed concern over the presence of fake medicines in the market, warning that such products posed serious risks to public health.

He explained that falsified medicines were deliberately manufactured or packaged to resemble genuine products from legitimate pharmaceutical companies, making it difficult for unsuspecting consumers to tell them apart.

The NAFDAC coordinator advised dealers to patronise only authorised suppliers, conduct regular stock inspections, and promptly report suspicious products and individuals to the agency, the police, or their association’s leadership.

He introduced the agency’s online verification platform, registration.nafdac.gov.ng, and encouraged members to download the NAFDAC Greenbook application to verify the registration status and authenticity of medicines before purchasing or selling them.

Mr Orajaka also urged the dealers to cooperate with NAFDAC enforcement officials and surrender suspected substandard products recovered during inspections.

“Educate your members and customers on the dangers of counterfeit medicines. Tackling the circulation of fake drugs requires collective commitment from regulators, medicine dealers and the general public,” he said.

The Ebonyi president of NAPMED, Jerry Ikporu, described the sensitisation exercise as timely and beneficial.

(NAN)