The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a nationwide alert over a confirmed counterfeit batch of Herceptin 600 mg circulating in Nigeria.
This was disclosed in a public notice published on the agency’s website, which confirmed the counterfeit batch A8519B34 reported in Lagos State.
Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a prescription medicine used in the treatment of certain types of breast and stomach cancers, working by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.
What the agency is saying
According to NAFDAC, Roche Nigeria, the Marketing Authorization Holder, received a complaint and conducted an investigation by comparing images of the suspected product with genuine Herceptin packaging.
A customer raised concerns about a suspected counterfeit product offered by a pharmacist at a significantly reduced price of N50,000, far below the standard market rate.
NAFDAC identified key differences in the falsified product, including incorrect artwork on the packaging, a wrong expiry date, and an invalid 2D matrix code.
- “The lot tracing is not possible because the batch number A8519B34 is not a genuine Roche batch number for Herceptin,” the agency stated.
NAFDAC explained that Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a prescription medicine used in the treatment of certain types of breast and stomach cancers, working by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells.
More insights
Full details of the affected counterfeit product:
- Herceptin 600 mg
- Batch number: A8519B34
- Manufacturing date: January 2024
- Expiry date: November 2026
The agency clarified that genuine Herceptin 600 mg is manufactured by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd at its Kaiseraugust facility in Basel, Switzerland.
All zonal directors and state coordinators have been directed to intensify surveillance and remove the counterfeit product from circulation.
Importers, distributors, retailers, and healthcare providers have been advised to source medicines only from authorized suppliers and verify product authenticity before use.
What you should know
NAFDAC warned that counterfeit cancer medicines pose serious health risks, including treatment failure, disease progression, severe adverse reactions, or death.
NAFDAC previously warned about other counterfeit cancer medicines in circulation, including Avastin 400mg, batches of Tecentriq 1200mg/20ml across the country and versions of Phesgo 600mg, a drug used in the treatment of breast cancer.
In a recent notice, the agency warned about the recall of MR.7 SUPER 700000 male enhancement capsules after the product was found to contain undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients, posing serious health risks to consumers.
In another safety alert, NAFDAC recently directed the immediate withdrawal of multi-dose Artemether/Lumefantrine dry powder for oral suspension still in circulation across the country.
