Nigeria's fight against counterfeit and substandard medicines requires a comprehensive approach that goes beyond market raids and destruction of seized products. According to Ibrahim Alabi, director of operations at Sproxil, a product authentication and traceability solutions provider, the challenge lies in monitoring the pharmaceutical market comprehensively. Alabi noted that gaps in Nigeria's regulatory system are not about direction but about depth, capacity, and coverage.
Recent enforcement operations in Lagos, Onitsha, and Aba resulted in the seizure of over 137 truckloads of alleged counterfeit and substandard products valued at over N1.5 trillion. However, Alabi said such operations would have limited long-term impact if the wider networks behind the production and distribution of fake medicines remained intact. He called for investigations to extend beyond traders to financiers, printers, importers, and other actors involved in the illicit trade.
Alabi identified limited product authentication coverage as a major gap in the fight against counterfeiting. Although the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control's (NAFDAC) Mobile Authentication Service allows consumers to verify selected products, counterfeiters are increasingly targeting products such as cosmetics, rice, beverages, wines, and spirits. Manufacturers in these sectors are encouraged to adopt authentication technology but are not generally required to do so.
Sproxil's 2026 data showed that cosmetics and personal care products generated the highest volume of counterfeit reports on its platform, followed by vitamins and supplements, analgesics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Antibiotics ranked fourth. However, Alabi cautioned that the figures did not represent the overall prevalence of counterfeiting because the platform only captures products carrying verification labels.
To tackle counterfeiting, product authentication needs to be complemented by supply-chain traceability, which would allow regulators to track medicines from manufacturers to the final point of sale. The Pharmaceutical Products Traceability Regulations, gazetted in October 2024, provide for GS1-compliant two-dimensional DataMatrix codes containing information such as the product's batch number, expiry date, and serial number.
Enforcement of the regulations is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027, with coverage expected to extend to all finished pharmaceutical products by January 1, 2029. Alabi said consumer authentication tells you a pack is genuine at the point of sale, while traceability tells you where it has been. Nigeria needs both, he added. Artificial intelligence could also strengthen the system by identifying unusual patterns in product movement and consumer verification.
Technology could also help turn consumer complaints into actionable intelligence. Through Sproxil's Third-Party Investigation service, consumers who receive a counterfeit result can provide details about where and when the product was purchased. Beyond public health risks, Alabi said counterfeit medicines also harmed legitimate manufacturers, distributors, and government revenue. The estimated annual cost of counterfeit medicines is over N60 billion in lost drug sales, medical complications, and productivity losses.
Key points
- A technology-driven approach is necessary to tackle gaps in product authentication, supply-chain visibility, and consumer awareness in Nigeria's fight against counterfeit medicines.
- The Pharmaceutical Products Traceability Regulations will require manufacturers to adopt GS1-compliant two-dimensional DataMatrix codes to track medicines from manufacturers to the final point of sale.
- Artificial intelligence and consumer complaints can be used to identify and tackle counterfeit medicines in Nigeria.
