The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alert over a suspected fake batch of BETACLOX, an antibiotic circulating in parts of northern Nigeria. The drug, labelled as containing Ampicillin 250mg and Cloxacillin 250mg, was flagged for carrying fraudulent registration details and appearing to originate from an unverifiable source.
The alert followed a report from a pharmacy in Zaria, where the medicine was purchased from a distributor in Kano, who in turn sourced it from Maiduguri’s Gambori Market. This movement suggests that the product may have already passed through several locations before detection.
Early checks by NAFDAC revealed that the registration number printed on the package, A4-4724, actually belongs to Mebendazole 500mg manufactured by Chi Ltd. The discovery signalled a clear misuse of an existing registration identity.
Additional discrepancies emerged around the stated importer, Freeview Pharmaceutical Ltd. While the packaging lists the company at “No. 128 MCC Road, Calabar,” official records confirm the genuine Freeview Pharmaceutical Ltd. is based at “No. 101 MCC Road” in the same city.
The agency stated: “NAFDAC is alerting the public to a suspected substandard and falsified (SF) pharmaceutical product identified within the drug supply chain.
The product in question, BETACLOX (a combination of ampicillin and cloxacillin), contains fraudulent registration details and comes from an unverified source, posing significant risks to public health.
“The SF product was procured from Gambori Market in Maiduguri metropolis, Borno State, by a distributor in Kano who subsequently sold it to a retail outlet in Zaria, Kaduna State. The retail outlet in Zaria reported the product as suspected SF, initiating this investigation.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the NAFDAC Registration Number (NRN) A4-4724 displayed on the SF product belongs to an entirely different product: Mebendazole 500mg, manufactured by Chi Ltd. This is a clear case of misappropriation of a registration number.
“While the SF product packaging displays the address as ‘No. 128 MCC Road, Calabar,’ verification against the PCN (Pharmacists Council of Nigeria) list of registered premises confirms that Freeview Pharmaceutical Ltd. is located at ‘No. 101 MCC Road, Calabar, Cross River State.
“This discrepancy raises additional concerns about the product’s authenticity and the potential unauthorised use of the company’s name.
“BETACLOX is a combination of ampicillin and cloxacillin. Ampicillin + Cloxacillin capsules are a fixed-dose combination drug used to treat bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, ear, nose and throat, urinary tract, skin and soft tissue, and gastrointestinal system.
“Product Details: Product Name: BETACLOX (Ampicillin 250mg and Cloxacillin 250mg), Alleged Importer: Freeview Pharmaceutical Ltd, Address: No. 128 MCC Road, Calabar, Cross River State, Manufacturer: Saeny Laboratory Pvt, Ltd, Elappunkal Junction, Kozhuvanal, Kerala, 864 423 India
•Batch No.: 230701
•Man. Date: 07/2023
•Exp. Date: 07/2026
•NAFDAC REG. NO: A4 4724”
