The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned the public about a fake Gold Vision Oxytocin injection (10IU) being sold with a false registration number.
The alert, numbered 028/2025, was posted on NAFDAC’s official website on Monday.
NAFDAC said the injection was falsely labelled as a product from a Chinese company but was actually being marketed by a firm in Enugu State.
The fake drug was discovered during a risk-based sampling survey carried out by officers of NAFDAC’s Post-Marketing Surveillance department.
Further checks also revealed three other fake injections—A-tocin, Extocin, and Claxitodin—found in the 2023 sampling exercise.
NAFDAC explained that all the falsified products carried the same fake registration number, A4-9566, and none of them appeared in the official list of registered medicines.
Oxytocin is a natural hormone and also a drug used to induce labour, control bleeding after childbirth, and help mothers with breastfeeding.
The medicine works by binding to receptors in the womb, increasing calcium levels in the cells, and triggering contractions.
NAFDAC warned that using fake or unregistered oxytocin is dangerous for both mothers and newborn babies.
Such products may contain the wrong dosage, no active ingredient, or harmful substances, which can cause weak labour contractions, heavy bleeding, or even lead to maternal death.
The agency added that poor-quality oxytocin could delay or fail to stop bleeding after childbirth, often requiring emergency measures like blood transfusions or surgery.
NAFDAC said its zonal directors and state coordinators have been instructed to track and withdraw all falsified products across Nigeria.
The agency also urged importers, distributors, retailers, health workers, and the public to be vigilant and avoid buying, selling, or using these fake medicines.
It advised that drugs and medical devices should only be purchased from licensed suppliers, and their authenticity and condition must always be checked.
Finally, NAFDAC encouraged healthcare workers and consumers to report any suspected fake or substandard medicines to the nearest NAFDAC office. Reports of side effects linked to such products should also be submitted immediately.
