The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismissed claims circulating on social media that it has secretly banned the sale and use of Amoxicillin in Nigeria, describing the allegation as false and misleading.
In a statement released on Monday, February 9, the agency said it has not banned Amoxicillin, either secretly or publicly, and urged Nigerians to disregard the viral video making the claim.
NAFDAC explained that as a regulatory authority, it communicates all safety-related actions transparently through official channels such as recalls, safety alerts and blacklists. These notices, the agency said, always contain detailed information including product names, batch numbers, manufacturers and the actions required.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, noted that the agency’s safety communications are designed to guide healthcare providers and the public on issues that may affect treatment and diagnostic decisions.
According to the statement, blacklisting, where applied, targets specific companies or products found to be unsafe, substandard or in violation of regulatory standards, and does not amount to a blanket ban on a drug.
NAFDAC clarified that while it has issued safety alerts on certain brands and batches of Amoxicillin in recent months, these actions were limited to identified substandard products.
It cited the August 2025 recall of Amoxivue 500mg capsules due to low active pharmaceutical ingredient content, as well as October 2025 alerts on substandard batches of Astamocil, Astamentin, Annmox and Jawamox suspensions.
“These actions were specific to affected brands and batches and do not constitute a ban on Amoxicillin,” the agency stated.
NAFDAC advised members of the public to rely only on verified information published through its official safety alerts and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting public health through transparent and science-based regulatory actions.
