The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the sale of one batch of fake Meronem 1g injection in Nigeria.

Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, the Director-General of NAFDAC gave this warning on Tuesday in Abuja.

She said the Marketing Authorization Holder (MAH), Pfizer, reported the occurrence via a patient notification mechanism and included a suspicious park of Meronem 1g injectable transaction.

She said Pfizer, explained that additional visual examination of the pack revealed that the contents of the vial did not dissolve when reconstituted for use.

Furthermore, it was said that the crimp code did not correspond with the code listed on the 2A21F11 production documentation batch, which is the semi-finished batch that was utilized for 4A21I17.

Adeyeye maintained that the manufacturing procedure did not adhere to Pfizer’s requirements.

“The vial label compares favourably to the purported artwork version.

“Meronem (Meropenem trihydrate injection) is an antibiotic used to treat skin and abdominal (stomach area) infections caused by bacteria and meningitis (infection of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord) in adults and children 3 months of age and older.

“The administration of the counterfeit product will pose a high risk to patients as the quality and safety are not guaranteed,” Adeyeye said.

Patients and healthcare providers were further adviced to be vigilant and buy all medical supplies from approved and licensed vendors.