NAFDAC alerts on falsified Gold Vision Oxytocin injection 10IU with fake registration number, warning of severe risks to mothers and newborns.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has issued a strong public alert concerning the circulation of falsified oxytocin injections in Nigeria.

The agency revealed that the product, marketed as Gold Vision Oxytocin injection 10IU, carries a counterfeit registration number and poses grave health risks to mothers and infants.

The announcement, captured in Alert No. 028/2025 and published on NAFDAC’s official website, explained that the product was fraudulently presented as being manufactured by Anhui Hongye Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Fengyang East Road, Bengbu, Anhui Province, China.

It was further claimed to be distributed in Nigeria by Gold Vision Medicals, located at No. 4 Range Avenue, Independence Layout, Enugu.

According to the agency, the falsified injection came to light during a risk-based sampling survey carried out by officials of NAFDAC’s Post-Marketing Surveillance (PMS) Directorate.

The same survey also exposed three additional fake products: A-tocin injection, Extocin injection, and Claxitodin injection.

All four products were allegedly linked to the same foreign company and bore an identical fake NAFDAC registration number, A4-9566.

NAFDAC stressed that these medicines were confirmed as falsified because they were not listed in the agency’s official database of registered products.

It emphasized that the circulation of such counterfeit drugs undermines safe medical practice and endangers lives.

The agency went on to educate the public about oxytocin, describing it as a naturally occurring hormone and neuropeptide that is also formulated as a pharmaceutical drug.

Clinically, oxytocin is widely used to induce or strengthen labour, control postpartum haemorrhage, and promote lactation.

Its medical action works through oxytocin receptors in the uterine muscles, triggering a biochemical pathway that elevates calcium within the cells, thereby causing effective uterine contractions.

However, NAFDAC warned that the use of fake or unregistered oxytocin injections could result in disastrous consequences. Such counterfeit products may contain no active ingredient, an incorrect dosage, or harmful contaminants.

This could lead to ineffective contractions, severe postpartum bleeding, delayed control of haemorrhage, or even maternal and neonatal death.

In many cases, poor-quality oxytocin forces emergency interventions, including blood transfusions or surgical procedures, to save the mother’s life.

In response to these threats, NAFDAC has directed its zonal directors and state coordinators across the country to intensify monitoring and ensure immediate withdrawal of falsified products wherever they are found.

The agency appealed to importers, distributors, retailers, healthcare providers, and consumers to exercise heightened vigilance throughout the pharmaceutical supply chain.

The regulator further advised that all medicines and medical devices should only be purchased from licensed suppliers, with both the authenticity and physical state of the products carefully inspected before use.

Suspicious cases of substandard or falsified medicines should be reported promptly to the nearest NAFDAC office.

Reports may also be made through the dedicated hotline 0800-162-3322, by email at sf.alert@nafdac.gov.ng, or via the electronic reporting portal on the official NAFDAC website: www.nafdac.gov.ng.

The agency reminded healthcare professionals and consumers to document and submit any cases of adverse reactions or side effects linked to medicines or medical devices for further regulatory action.