NAFDAC alerts public to fake cancer drug in circulation

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians to a counterfeit batch of Herceptin 600 mg circulating in Nigeria.

Herceptin (trastuzumab) is a prescription drug used to treat certain types of breast cancer and stomach cancer, according to the agency. It works by inhibiting cancer cell growth and is administered via intravenous infusion or injection, often alongside chemotherapy

The agency in a public alerts published in its X account Thursday warned that counterfeit oncology medicines may contain incorrect or no active ingredients, harmful contaminants, or incorrect dosage strength which may result in treatment failure, disease progression, serious adverse events, or death.

Ir noted that the alert follows official communications from Roche Nigeria confirming a counterfeit case of Herceptin 600 mg with batch number A8519B34 reported in Lagos State, Nigeria.

According to the Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH), the report of a counterfeit batch of Herceptin 600 mg was received as a complaint from a customer. The counterfeited batch of the product was said to have been offered to a customer by a pharmacist in Lagos at a significantly lower price of N50,000 compared to the standard rate.

NAFDAC explained that on investigation, the MAH (Roche Nigeria) compared the pictures of the counterfeit Herceptin 600mg provided by the complainant to the genuine packaging material of Herceptin 600 mg which revealed significant differences from genuine packaging material.

The details of the counterfeit products are as follows:
Product Name,Herceptin 600 mg ; Stated Manufacturer, F.Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Kaiseraugust, Switzerland ; Batch Number, A8519B34;
Manufacturing Date, 01/2024;
Expiry Date, 11/2026.

NAFDAC informed that genuine Herceptin 600 mg is manufactured by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd in Basel, at the Kaiseraugust site in Switzerland.

The agency directed its zonal directors and state coordinators to carry out surveillance and mop up the counterfeit product within the zones and states.

“Importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare professionals, and caregivers are hereby advised to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain to avoid the importation, distribution, sale, and use of counterfeit products,” it urged.