Four years after The Guardian raised questions about the manufacturing locations of some Ghanaian herbal products sold in Lagos, fresh findings have revealed that two of the products now bear National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) registration numbers that belong to entirely different products. The two products are Madam F Kayes Bitters and Asheitu Adam’s Bitters.

The first, Madam F Kayes Bitters, said it was manufactured in January 2025 and expires in December 2028, with A7-2719L as its NAFDAC number. The product’s label and the marketers said it is a blood-purifying tonic with capacity to cure about 15 different ailments. Those listed on the product include hypertension, gonorrhoea, stomach problems, sexual weakness, poor eyesight, worms, diabetes, menopausal problems, piles, fibroid, fever, waist pains, menstrual pains, barrenness, and rheumatism. The label also says it is produced and marketed by Rebak Natural Healthcare. The company’s address was not provided.

A similar product, Asheitu Adam’s Bitter, is also sold in Nigeria as a “100% herbal” blood purifier.

Asheitu Adam’s Bitter label said it originated from Ghana and manufactured by Asheitu Adams Enterprises but carries a Nigerian address: 2 Babatunde Adetoro Street, Off Old Abeokuta Motor Road, by Mobil Station, Agege, Lagos. Also, there were two customer care lines in the new product label: a Nigerian phone line and a Ghanaian phone number.

The product label said it treats such ailments as: asthma, pregnancy disorders, headache, hypertension, gonorrhoea, stomach problems, sexual weakness, poor eyesight, worms, diabetes, menopausal problems, piles, fibroids, fever, waist pains, menstrual pains, barrenness, and rheumatism. The product label said it was manufactured on December 1, 2024, and will expire on November 1, 2027, while its NAFDAC-approved number is A7-1827L.

However, when the NAFDAC numbers on the two products were inputted on the NAFDAC product verification portal, it revealed that NAFDAC allocated the numbers to different products. For Madam F Kayes Bitter (A7-2719L), the details revealed that the product with that approved number is DB Essential Balm, a relieving ointment also categorised as a herbal and nutraceutical product.

The portal also revealed that the product was imported and manufactured by Arya Aushadhi Pharma Mumbai PVT Limited, an India-based pharmaceutical company. It further disclosed that the licence was approved on April 7, 2022, and expired on April 6, 2024.

For Asheitu Adams Bitter (A7-1827L), the NAFDAC product verification portal showed that the product with the approved number is Greentol Cough Syrup. It was categorised as a herbal and nutraceutical product that is imported and produced by Ayushree Pharmaceuticals PVT Limited. The portal also disclosed that the product was approved on May 29, 2024, and the licence expired on May 28, 2026.

The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, spoke on the implications of two products sharing a NAFDAC number at a media briefing held in Lagos.
She said that when two products have the same number, the agency usually sanctions those involved.

“A company getting one NAFDAC number and using it multiple times, that is a crime based on our own regulation, but we sanction them heavily,” said the agency’s Director-General.

“If you go on our website, we have a watchlist. If you cross our path too many times, and you are not repentant, we blacklist you. If there is an issue with a product that we are still investigating or working around, we put you on the watchlist; it is on our website. A company that has one NAFDAC number for more than one product doesn’t think of the customer, and the quality, safety, and efficacy are very likely compromised. So we take it very seriously.”