NAFDAC Uncovers 'Death Warehouses' in Lagos with Counterfeit Medicines Worth Billions

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) revealed the discovery of "death warehouses" in Lagos, Nigeria, where counterfeit medicines valued at 3 billion Naira were found. The agency seized 10 million doses of fake and banned drugs hidden in multiple warehouses around the Trade Fair Complex in Lagos State.

Martin Iluyomade, the Director of Investigation and Enforcement at NAFDAC, described the counterfeit products as so sophisticated that manufacturers sometimes struggle to differentiate them from genuine ones. Eight trailer loads of assorted fake medicines and cosmetics were evacuated from the site.

Iluyomade warned that the counterfeit drug trade, driven by profit, poses a grave threat to public health, with pharmaceutical manufacturers reporting fake versions of their products circulating in the market for up to six months undetected.