The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has firmly denied claims circulating on social media that it has secretly banned the widely used antibiotic Amoxicillin in Nigeria.

In a public notice shared across its official platforms, the agency described the reports as entirely false and misleading. It stressed that Amoxicillin remains an approved medicine in the country and continues to be available for legitimate medical use.

NAFDAC explained that its regulatory work often involves issuing targeted safety alerts, product recalls and blacklists when specific medicines or batches fail to meet required standards. These actions, the agency said, are precise and evidence based, and should not be misinterpreted as a blanket prohibition on an entire drug.

According to the agency, every formal safety communication clearly identifies the affected product by name, dosage form, batch number, manufacturer and the corrective steps required. Where blacklisting is applied, it is directed at particular companies or products associated with safety concerns, regulatory breaches or unethical practices, not at whole classes of medicines such as antibiotics.

To illustrate this, NAFDAC referenced recent alerts involving Amoxicillin based products. One public alert ordered the recall of a specific brand of 500mg capsules after tests showed inadequate levels of active pharmaceutical ingredient. Subsequent alerts focused on substandard batches of several Amoxicillin suspensions, directing healthcare providers and the public to stop their use and return them through approved channels.

NAFDAC stressed that these measures were limited to the identified products and batches and did not amount to a nationwide ban on Amoxicillin. The agency said such targeted interventions are part of its routine mandate to safeguard public health and ensure that only quality, safe and effective medicines remain on the market.

The regulator urged Nigerians, especially patients, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals, to disregard unverified claims suggesting a secret prohibition of Amoxicillin. It advised the public to seek information only from its official announcements and to report any suspected substandard or falsified medicines through recognised reporting platforms.

NAFDAC reiterated its commitment to transparent communication, noting that any major regulatory decision, including a ban on any medicine, would be publicly announced and widely disseminated through its established channels.