The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against using suspected fake medicines being sold as Forxiga (dapagliflozin).
In a post on X on Thursday, the agency said the products could put users at serious health risk.
NAFDAC said the suspected counterfeit medicines were found in Nigeria during market surveillance carried out by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
According to the agency, AstraZeneca alerted it after discovering products with names similar to Forxiga® that copied the company’s brand identity and logo.
NAFDAC said genuine Forxiga® (dapagliflozin) is prescribed to help control blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes. It also reduces cardiovascular deaths and hospital admissions in heart failure patients and slows the progression of chronic kidney disease.
“Counterfeit medicines may contain incorrect ingredients, the wrong dosage strength, harmful contaminants, or may not contain the stated active ingredient,” the agency said.
“Use of such products may result in treatment failure, worsening of the underlying medical condition, adverse health consequences, or other serious risks to patient safety.”
The agency said the fake products were found in eastern Nigeria.
It identified one suspected counterfeit product as Forzigar, with batch number ATE-262, manufactured in March 2025 and expiring in February 2028, listing Alliaance Biotech as the manufacturer.
The second, Foziga, carries batch number GIB405-, a manufacturing date of June 2024, an expiry date of May 2027, and lists Medico Remedies Ltd as the manufacturer.
NAFDAC said investigations into the source and distribution of the products have started. It also urged consumers and healthcare professionals to buy medicines only from licensed pharmacies and authorised distributors, inspect packaging carefully, and report any suspected fake medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office.
