What this covers
Counterfeit and substandard medicines remain a serious problem in Nigeria, ranging from products with no active ingredient to dangerous look-alikes. Knowing how to check NAFDAC registration, scratch-card verification codes, and packaging tells genuine medicine from fakes that waste money and cost lives.
Safe-use guidance
- Check every pack for a NAFDAC registration number — its absence on a medicine sold in Nigeria is an immediate red flag.
- Use the scratch panel (Mobile Authentication Service) where present: scratch, text the code to the printed shortcode, and confirm the reply says genuine.
- Inspect packaging quality: blurry print, spelling errors, missing leaflets, broken seals, and inconsistent batch numbers or expiry dates between the carton and blister are warning signs.
- Buy from licensed pharmacies — not open markets, hawkers, or unverified online sellers — and be suspicious of prices far below normal.
- Compare new packs with your previous ones for medicines you take regularly; report suspected fakes to NAFDAC.
Cautions
- Fake antimalarials and antibiotics not only fail the patient — they breed resistance that endangers everyone.
- A NAFDAC number alone can be forged; combine checks (number, scratch code, packaging, trusted source) rather than relying on one.
- Injectables and infusions from unverified sources carry the highest risk of contamination.
- 'Tokunbo' or grey-import medicines without Nigerian registration bypass local quality checks.
How GoDoctor helps
Every medicine GoDoctor delivers comes from licensed, verified pharmacy partners with traceable sourcing — so the question of whether your medicine is genuine is answered before it reaches your hands.
Prescription medicines always require an in-app consultation with a licensed doctor first — the e-prescription then goes straight to a licensed partner pharmacy for dispensing and delivery.