The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has announced a sweeping ban on 101 pharmaceutical products, effective immediately.

The directive, issued on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, prohibits the manufacture, importation, distribution, advertisement, sale, and use of the affected medicines within Nigeria. The full list of banned products has been made available on NAFDAC’s official website.

The banned medicines span several key therapeutic areas, including:

Antimalarials: various artemether/lumefantrine and artesunate amodiaquine combinations (e.g., ASAQ Tablets, Artemether/Lumefantrine).

Cardiovascular drugs: including formulations of valsartan and amlodipine (e.g., Aprovasc tablets, Amlodipine).

Diabetes medicines: such as Januvia, Janumet, and Amaryl.

HIV treatments: including Abacavir and Combination 3 Tablets.

Hormonal therapies and injectables, such as Norditropin (growth hormone).

Inhalers and eye drops are used in respiratory and ophthalmic care.

The products include those manufactured or distributed by well-known pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi Aventis Nigeria Ltd, Novartis Nigeria Limited, Bayer East Africa Limited, Healthline Limited, and others.

NAFDAC clarified the basis of its action:

Withdrawal: when a product’s Certificate of Registration is discontinued at the request of its Market Authorisation Holder.

Suspension: when license conditions are no longer met, pending a final review.

Cancellation: when NAFDAC formally revokes a product’s Certificate of Registration.

This large-scale move aligns with global efforts to combat substandard and falsified medical products, which pose grave public health risks and threaten access to safe, life-saving treatments.

NAFDAC urged Nigerians to stay informed, check the official list of banned medicines, and avoid the circulation or use of affected products.