Nigeria blacklists Indian firms

Nigeria's  National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has blocked 22 Indian pharmaceutical companies from exporting, importing  and  distributing  drugs  in  the  country.

The NAFDAC has also banned 40 products that are in circulation in Nigeria from being used, saying the names on the labels are fake and the agency cannot guarantee their safety and  efficacy, reports the local newspaper Vanguard.

Under the leadership of Professor Dora Akunyili the NAFDAC has made combatting counterfeits a priority, with some success. Nigeria has seen the level of counterfeit drugs in circulation cut in half to a level of 30-40 per cent, accoridng to local estimates.