How to Verify a NAFDAC Registration Number Before You Stock a Drug

Why this matters more than any other check

Distributing fake, unregistered, or expired pharmaceutical products in Nigeria carries serious consequences: stock seizure, fines, business closure, criminal liability, and — most importantly — patient harm. Reputation in the drug-distribution business takes years to build and a single bad batch to destroy.

Every product you accept into your inventory must be verifiable. This guide walks through the practical checks.

What a NAFDAC registration number looks like

NAFDAC registration numbers follow a consistent format with a category prefix, a hyphen, and a sequence of digits. Examples of common prefix patterns include codes for drugs, food products, cosmetics, water and other categories. Numbers should be:

• Printed clearly on the product packaging (not stuck on as a sticker).
• Printed on the immediate container and the outer carton.
• Identical across all units of the same SKU and batch.

If a number is missing, illegible, or printed on a sticker that can be peeled off, treat the product as suspicious until verified.

Step 1 — Check the official NAFDAC "Greenbook"

NAFDAC publishes an official register of approved products commonly referred to as the Greenbook. It lists registered drug products with the manufacturer name, brand name, generic name, and registration number.

To verify a product, search the Greenbook (via the official NAFDAC channels) by:

• Brand name (e.g. "Caregyl") — confirms the brand is registered.
• NAFDAC registration number — confirms the number is real and hasn't been recycled onto a counterfeit.
• Manufacturer name — confirms the manufacturer is registered.

If a product appears nowhere in the official register, do not stock it.

Step 2 — Check Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) where supported

NAFDAC operates a Mobile Authentication Service for participating pharmaceutical products: a unique scratch-off PIN on the pack is sent by SMS to a short code, and you receive an instant pass/fail response. Where this is implemented for an SKU, every individual pack can be authenticated.

Not every SKU participates, but where available it provides per-pack verification on top of the SKU-level verification done via the Greenbook.

Step 3 — Verify the supplier, not just the product

The most reliable safeguard is buying from a NAFDAC-certified manufacturer (or that manufacturer's authorised distributor). What that looks like in practice:

• Quote on the manufacturer's letterhead with full registered company details.
• Invoice with NAFDAC registration numbers per SKU.
• Payment to the manufacturer's corporate bank account (never personal).
• Goods delivered with batch numbers, expiry dates, and a manufacturer waybill.
• A direct sales-rep contact you can call back about the order.

If any of these are missing — particularly the corporate bank account — that is a red flag.

Step 4 — Inspect the physical pack

Before accepting delivery:

• Packaging quality — clean print, sharp graphics, no smudging.
• Batch number and expiry — clearly printed (not hand-written or stickered).
• Tamper-evident seal intact on every pack.
• Pack-to-carton consistency — sample 2-3 packs from different parts of the carton and confirm batch and expiry match.
• Expiry runway — for fast movers, accept nothing with less than 18 months remaining; for slow movers, less than 24.

Red flags — walk away if you see any of these

1. "Cheap" stock at significantly below market price from an unfamiliar supplier.
2. Packaging that looks subtly different from previous deliveries of the same SKU.
3. NAFDAC number that doesn't appear in the Greenbook.
4. Supplier insists on cash or transfer to a personal account.
5. No formal invoice, or an invoice without the manufacturer's registered details.
6. Batch numbers that look hand-stamped or stickered onto the pack.
7. Expiry dates that are unusually close.
8. Hospital or institutional re-sale stock with re-labelled packaging.

Any one of these alone is a yellow flag. Two together is a red flag — return the stock and report the supplier.

Why buying direct from a manufacturer is the cleanest route

Every step in the supply chain between manufacturer and you is a step where counterfeit or substandard product can enter. Buying direct from a NAFDAC-certified manufacturer like Dizpharm eliminates the entire intermediate layer — you receive product straight from the production line under a formal commercial relationship.

Every Dizpharm SKU carries a valid NAFDAC registration number printed on every pack and outer carton. Browse our wholesale catalogue or apply to the distributor program to source direct.

Frequently asked questions