NAFDAC Director-General Mojisola Adeyeye says decades of regulatory changes and the expansion of open drug markets contributed to Nigeria’s counterfeit and substandard medicine problem. The issue has particular implications for women especially women managing reproductive, maternal and chronic health conditions that require reliable access to treatment.
Nigeria’s long-running problem with counterfeit and substandard medicines has developed over decades, according to the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye.
Adeyeye made the assessment during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, where she discussed the agency’s efforts to strengthen regulation and address medicines circulating outside approved channels.
She linked part of the problem to changes in the regulation of patent medicine dealers and the growth of open drug markets.
“Decades ago, we had controlled patent medicine dealers and the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria was in charge,” Adeyeye said.
According to the NAFDAC director-general, regulatory responsibility changed over time while the number of people involved in medicine sales increased. By the time oversight was restored, she said, the country had become “flooded” with people selling medicines without sufficient knowledge of them.
“So, in terms of substandard, falsified medicines, we created it in this country,” Adeyeye said.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC is working to strengthen the medicine-registration process. She emphasized on NAFDAC’s continuous effort in surveillance and enforcement against medicines that fail to meet regulatory requirements, including falsified, substandard and unregistered products.
One of the measures she highlighted is the adoption of the Common Technical Document (CTD) as a template for medicine registration. The CTD provides a standardised format for information submitted to regulatory authorities when medicines are registered and is used in regulatory systems internationally.
NAFDAC has also previously operated its Mobile Authentication Service (MAS), which used scratch-off authentication PINs and SMS to allow consumers to check certain medicines. The system was particularly used for antimalarial and antibiotic medicines, although the available NAFDAC guidance on the specific SMS codes is older.
Adeyeye said the use of international standards would strengthen Nigeria’s regulatory processes but acknowledged that changes to a system that developed over decades would take time as the problems have been existing for decades, and won’t change overnight.
The consequences can be particularly significant for women whose health depends on regular or carefully managed medication. This includes women undergoing fertility treatment, managing hormonal conditions, treating reproductive-health conditions or living with chronic illnesses that require continuous medication and monitoring.
A falsified, substandard or improperly stored medicine may not contain the expected active ingredient, may contain the wrong amount or may otherwise fail to work as intended. The result can be treatment that is less effective, delayed care or additional health complications.
For women experiencing infertility, for example, medicines used as part of fertility or hormonal treatment are often prescribed for specific purposes and under medical supervision. An ineffective or inappropriate product could interfere with treatment and potentially prolong an already emotionally, physically and financially demanding process.
Hormonal medicines also require particular care because they are used to manage a range of conditions, from reproductive-health concerns to other endocrine disorders. When treatment is unreliable, women may experience continued symptoms or delays in receiving the care they need.
Pregnancy is another area where medicine quality matters. Pregnant women require medication for various health reasons, taking a falsified or substandard product can create an additional concern at a time when both maternal and fetal health require close attention.
NAFDAC’s ongoing registration, surveillance and enforcement efforts are therefore important beyond regulation itself. For women whose health, fertility, pregnancy or daily quality of life depends on reliable treatment, the ability to access medicines that are safe, properly registered and of consistent quality is part of what makes healthcare truly accessible.
