1. The Issue: Dangerous Antimalarials Still on Sale & Used in Nigeria
Our investigation has revealed that a significant number of antimalarial products—purportedly banned in the European Union—are still being manufactured, distributed, and sold across Nigeria. A 2017 Senate report referenced 42 anti-malarial drugs banned by the EU, including well-known brands such as:
Alaxin (60 mg tablets and oral suspension—dihydroartemisinin variants)
Amodiaquine (200 mg tablets in various packaging)
Arinate (50 mg & 100 mg tablets—artesunate)
Arsumax, Artemax, Artemédine, Artenam, Artesiane (artemether variants)
Artesunate (compressed tablets)
Artexin, Camoquin, Cotecxin, Falcinil, Daraprim (pyrimethamine), and others .
Yet, as of today, many of these remain available in Nigerian pharmacies and markets.
2. Historical Context & Health Risks
The EU—grounded in its precautionary regulatory framework—banned these drugs due to safety concerns and lack of efficacy. The list includes various monotherapies and older formulations that have been supplanted by Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) globally. Continued use of these outdated medications is linked to:
Kidney damage and chronic kidney disease due to toxic impurities and drug degradation.
Drug resistance development from monotherapy use, reducing treatment effectiveness.
Broader health burdens as individuals lose kidney function, contributing to Nigeria’s rising kidney failure cases.
3. Global Health Perspective
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends ACTs—such as artemether-lumefantrine, artesunate-amodiaquine, and dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine—for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. These regimens are ranked high for both efficacy and safety .
No major international health agency currently endorses the banned monotherapies identified in the EU list.
4. Data Spotlight
The 2017 Senate alert raised the alarm about all 42 EU-banned antimalarials still being sold in Nigeria .
NAFDAC later called this claim a “misconception,” noting that those banned drugs are mainly single-agent APIs (e.g., artesunate monotherapy), not the recommended combination therapies in use today .
However, lack of public updates or an official product audit leaves uncertainty and risk.
5. Comparative Analysis: Lessons from Other Settings
Vietnam and Southeast Asia, where monotherapy use persisted, saw rapid emergence of artemisinin-resistant malaria strains, dramatically undermining malaria control.
Nigeria, with its weak regulatory enforcement at informal markets, is at even higher risk—especially with monotherapy products lingering in circulation.
6. Expert Appeal: What’s at Stake
> “The persistence of outdated antimalarials in Nigerian circulation poses a dual threat: direct harm to individuals—especially renal damage—and systemic erosion of malaria control efforts. Regulatory agencies must act with urgency to stop this public health time bomb.”
— Senior Health Policy Analyst, West African Health Consortium (anonymous due to sensitivity)
7. Call to Action: What Must Follow
Actor Key Actions
Federal Government & Ministry of Health Order immediate audit of antimalarial products in the market; revoke registration of EU-banned monotherapies; launch public health campaign.
NAFDAC Publish updated list of approved antimalarials; enforce market seizures of banned items; mandate reformulation to ACTs only.
Healthcare Providers & Pharmacists Cease stocking or prescribing monotherapies; educate patients on ACT importance and kidney risks of outdated drugs.
Nigerian Public Avoid purchasing or using products not listed on the official approved drug list; report suspicious medicines to authorities.
8. Full List of EU-Banned Antimalarials Found Circulating in Nigeria (per 2017 Senate record)
1. Alaxin 60 mg tablet (dihydroartemisinin)
2. Alaxin oral suspension (dihydroartemisinin)
3. Amodiaquine 200 mg compressed (various pack sizes)
4. Arinate 100 mg tablet (artesunate)
5. Arinate 50 mg tablet (artesunate)
6. Arsumax 50 mg tablet (artesunate)
7. Artemax 60 mg tablet (dihydroartemisinin)
8. Arthémédine 40 mg capsule (artemether)
9. Arthémédine 50 mg tablet (artemether)
10. Artenam 50 mg tablet (artemether)
11. Artenam 60 mg tablet (artemether)
12. Artesiane 300 mg child powder oral suspension (artemether)
13. Artesunate 100 mg compressed
14. Artesunate 50 mg tablet
15. Artexin 60 mg tablet (dihydroartemisinin)
16. Camoquin 200 mg tablet (amodiaquine) various pack sizes
17. Camoquin 600 mg tablet (amodiaquine)
18. Camoquin oral suspension (amodiaquine)
19. Cotecxin oral suspension (dihydroartemisinin)
20. Cotecxin 60 mg tablet (dihydroartemisinin)
21. Daraprim tablet (pyrimethamine)
22. Falcinil 50 mg tablet (artesunate)
(Note: The full 42-item list continues along these patterns; only key examples are shown here for readability.)
9. Conclusion: Nigeria’s Kidneys—and Its People—Deserve Better
This is more than a regulatory lapse—it’s a looming public health disaster. Outdated—and potentially harmful—antimalarial drugs continue to threaten Nigerians’ kidney health and undermine years of malaria progress.
Time is not on our side. The authorities must move swiftly, transparently, and decisively.
Banned Antimalarials Still on Sale in Nigeria—Kidney Health at Risk
A Headlinenews.news investigation has uncovered that dozens of antimalarial drugs banned in the European Union are still being sold openly in Nigeria. The EU blacklisted these medicines—including Alaxin, Amodiaquine, Arinate, Arsumax, Cotecxin, Camoquin, Falcinil, Daraprim and others—over safety concerns and lack of efficacy.
Health experts warn that these outdated treatments can cause kidney damage, contribute to rising kidney failure cases, and fuel dangerous drug resistance.
The World Health Organization recommends only Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) for malaria. Yet in Nigeria, monotherapies and banned products remain in circulation, often through informal markets.
Call to Action
Federal Government, NAFDAC, and Ministry of Health must urgently audit, ban, and seize these medicines.
Healthcare providers should stop prescribing them, and Nigerians are urged to avoid unapproved products.
The message is clear: protecting Nigerians’ kidneys and lives requires swift action—before this silent health crisis deepens.
Headlinenews.news Special Investigative Report.
For full report: www.headlinenews.news
Dr. G. Fraser. MFR.
The National Patriots.
Headlinenews.news—investigative, impactful, and urgent.
