The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has informed the public about the spread of fake Augmentin 625mg tablets in Nigeria. The FDA stated in a statement released on Friday that the alert was prompted by complaints from the legitimate maker of Augmentin, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), regarding potential counterfeit versions of the drug in use. GSK verified that the product was fake after examining "documentary evidence, photographs, and a video from social media," according to NAFDAC.
"The product showed inconsistent manufacturing and expiration dates, indicating that it had been falsified, even though it shared the same batch number as authentic stock previously supplied to Nigeria," the statement said.
Batch AC3N was first created in Worthing, United Kingdom (UK), on August 23, 2023, and packed between September 19 and 20, 2023, according to the agency, which also provided information on the manufacturer's probe.
The manufacturing and expiration dates on the suspected counterfeit samples, September 2025 and September 2028, respectively, "are inconsistent with GSK production records and cannot be attributed to a GSK-produced batch," it continued, adding that "no batch with the number AC3N was produced in September 2025."
Additionally, "packaging-level discrepancies, including textual errors and poor fin-seal quality," were found, according to NAFDAC. The organization cautioned that fake medications continue to pose a serious risk to public health.
“The use of counterfeit Augmentin 625mg tablets may result in treatment failure, worsening of bacterial infections, development of antimicrobial resistance, adverse drug reactions due to unknown or harmful ingredients, and delay in receiving appropriate medical care,” it said.
Amoxicillin and clavulanic acid are included in Augmentin, which is frequently recommended to treat bacterial infections. According to NAFDAC, all state coordinators and zonal directors have been instructed to step up monitoring and stop the counterfeit goods from being sold nationwide.
Importers, distributors, merchants, medical professionals, and consumers were instructed by the agency to only purchase medications from authorized suppliers and to thoroughly inspect the items' physical condition and validity before using them.
