50 Percent of Drugs in Circulation Are Fake, Warns Pharmacists’ Association

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has raised a grave alarm, disclosing that over 50 percent of medicines currently in circulation across the country may be fake or substandard. This shocking revelation, made by the National Chairman of the ACPN, Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma, significantly contradicts official estimates that typically hover between 13 to 15 percent.

Pharm. Igwekamma issued the stark warning in a statement released on Saturday, July 5, 2025, ahead of the association’s 44th Annual International Conference scheduled to hold in Awka, Anambra State, later this month. He described the proliferation of counterfeit drugs as a “national emergency,” cautioning that Nigeria appears to be regressing to the perilous era of the late 1990s when fake medicines led to widespread therapeutic failures and fatalities.

“Our usually reliable and dependable research-based efforts indicate that we are back to the days of over 50 percent of drugs in circulation being fake and substandard,” Igwekamma stated. He referenced historical studies, including a 1988 Federal Ministry of Health/WHO report that found 33 percent of drugs to be fake, with 7 percent resulting in death. A 1998 review by the University of Lagos further indicated that nearly 50 percent of counterfeit drugs originated from open drug markets.

The ACPN chairman attributed this disturbing resurgence to “weakened regulatory enforcement” and the alarming inactivity of both Federal and State Task Forces responsible for monitoring the drug distribution chain. He also expressed profound concern over the estimated five million unregistered drug outlets operating nationwide, which serve as major conduits for these illicit products. Igwekamma also highlighted a booming black market in counterfeit beverages, which he described as a “tens-of-billions-naira business run by modern-day merchants of death.”

The consequences of this pervasive threat include treatment failures, increased morbidity, and even patient mortality, posing an immense challenge to public health and eroding trust in the healthcare system.

In a bid to reverse this dangerous trend, the ACPN has called on the National Assembly to urgently amend the existing Fake Drug and Unwholesome Processed Food Act. This amendment, they argue, is crucial to empower regulatory bodies like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) with stronger enforcement tools to combat the sophisticated networks of counterfeiters.

While commending the recent collaborative efforts between NAFDAC and the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) that led to the sealing of the notorious Sabon-Gari open drug market and the operationalization of Nigeria’s first Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC) in Kano, the ACPN urged the government to sustain and intensify such actions. The upcoming conference in Awka will feature a symbolic “Walk Against Fake and Counterfeit Medicines,” aiming to further raise public awareness about the dangers of these illicit products.