The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismissed circulating claims that it has secretly banned the antibiotic Amoxicillin in Nigeria.
In a statement posted on its X Platform on Monday, the agency described the claim as completely false. NAFDAC clarified that while it regularly issues targeted safety alerts and recalls for specific substandard or affected medicine batches, there is no nationwide ban on Amoxicillin.
“NAFDAC has not banned Amoxicillin in Nigeria, either secretly or openly. As a responsible regulatory authority, the Agency publicly notifies Nigerians of any regulatory actions through official channels,” the notice read.
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The agency highlighted that its safety communications, including Recalls, Safety Alerts, and Blacklists, provide detailed information on affected products, including names, batch numbers, manufacturers, and recommended actions to protect patients and healthcare providers. Blacklisting, when applied, targets specific companies for safety concerns, regulatory violations, or unethical practices, not entire drug categories.
NAFDAC cited recent targeted actions on certain Amoxicillin products: in August 2025, Public Alert No. 24/2025 recalled Amoxivue 500mg capsules due to low active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) content. In October 2025, Public Alerts Nos. 34 and 35 addressed substandard batches of Astamocil, Astamentin, Annmox, and Jawamox suspensions.
“These actions were specific to identified products and do not constitute a ban on Amoxicillin,” the agency reiterated, urging the public, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders to rely solely on verified updates from official NAFDAC channels.
