The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has alerted Nigerians to the existence of fake COVID-19 antigen rapid test kits in circulation.
The notification was contained in a public alert published on the agency’s website.
The agency noted that the counterfeit test kits were sold online in 25-pack boxes by a distributor called Healthful Plus without the required licence.
It said the packaging of the counterfeit kits resembles the authentic (licensed) BTNX Inc. products in colour and typeface and uses the BTNX Inc. device identifier “COV-19C25”, but also has several key differences.
The agency said, “The counterfeit kits: are labelled as manufactured by ‘Health Advance Inc.’ instead of BTNX Inc.; lists Health Advance as an ‘Official Canadian Distributor’; and includes the text ‘Health Canada Approved’. Claims of endorsement by government authorities, such as Health Canada, are not permitted.
“Genuine COVID-19 Antigen test helps detect certain proteins in the virus. Rapid antigen tests are designed to tell in a few minutes whether someone is infectious or not.
“The genuine manufacturer BTNX Inc. has confirmed that the devices were counterfeit.”
NAFDAC, however, advised wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, and consumers to ensure that products are obtained from authentic and reliable sources.
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