{
  "id": "medical/mas-scratch-code-limited-to-antimalarials",
  "signature": "AI tells someone in Nigeria to check any medicine for authenticity via NAFDAC's MAS scratch-code SMS service",
  "signature_zh": "",
  "regex": "(nafdac.*mas|mobile.*authentication.*service.*nigeria|scratch.*code.*nigeria.*drug)",
  "domain": "medical",
  "category": "administrative_barrier",
  "subcategory": null,
  "root_cause": "NAFDAC's Mobile Authentication Service (scratch-and-text verification) was deployed from 2012 only on anti-malarial and antibiotic medicines, not the full pharmaceutical market. A missing scratch panel on other drug classes (painkillers, cough syrups, supplements) does not by itself indicate a fake, and legislative and press reporting show even covered categories are inconsistently found with working codes today.",
  "root_cause_type": "generic",
  "root_cause_zh": "",
  "versions": [
    {
      "version": "any",
      "introduced": null,
      "deprecated": null,
      "removed": null,
      "behavior_change": null,
      "status": "active"
    }
  ],
  "os_specific": {},
  "dead_ends": [
    {
      "action": "Expect every Nigerian medicine (painkillers, cough syrups, supplements, etc.) to carry a NAFDAC MAS scratch panel and treat its absence as proof the product is fake",
      "why_fails": "NAFDAC's own program description says MAS was deployed starting January 2012 across anti-malarial and antibiotic medicines specifically as the first stage; it was never rolled out as a universal requirement across all drug categories, so most other medicine classes simply never had scratch codes to check.",
      "fail_rate": 0.6,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": [
        "https://nafdac.gov.ng/our-services/pharmacovigilance-post-market-surveillance/mobile-authentication-service-mas/",
        "https://www.pulse.ng/story/how-to-spot-fake-malaria-drugs-nigeria-2026052910000770086"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "Treat a genuine-looking MAS scratch code SMS reply as conclusive proof the specific box in your hand is authentic",
      "why_fails": "Nigeria's House of Representatives formally raised, and NAFDAC responded to, complaints that scratch-code coverage had lapsed on many over-the-counter and paediatric products, and 2026 consumer reporting notes that packaging can be genuine while the medicine inside is substituted, or that counterfeiters fabricate plausible NAFDAC registration numbers - so the code check is one signal, not a guarantee.",
      "fail_rate": 0.4,
      "condition": "",
      "sources": [
        "https://placng.org/i/house-calls-for-the-prevention-of-counterfeit-drugs-through-nafdacs-mobile-authentication-service-mas/",
        "https://www.pulse.ng/story/how-to-spot-fake-malaria-drugs-nigeria-2026052910000770086"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds": [
    {
      "action": "Use the MAS scratch code where available as one signal among several, and buy only from licensed pharmacies.",
      "success_rate": 0.6,
      "how": "For antimalarials/antibiotics, scratch the panel and text the code to the NAFDAC short code, and treat a 'fake/stolen' reply as a hard stop. For any medicine, also check the NAFDAC registration number is present and well-printed, inspect the pill/ syrup itself for irregularities, and buy exclusively from licensed pharmacies rather than open-market or street vendors.",
      "condition": "",
      "sources": [
        "https://nafdac.gov.ng/our-services/pharmacovigilance-post-market-surveillance/mobile-authentication-service-mas/",
        "https://www.pulse.ng/story/how-to-spot-fake-malaria-drugs-nigeria-2026052910000770086"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "workarounds_zh": [],
  "transition_graph": {
    "leads_to": [],
    "preceded_by": [],
    "frequently_confused_with": []
  },
  "official_doc_url": null,
  "official_doc_section": null,
  "error_code": null,
  "verification_tier": "ai_generated",
  "confidence": 0.65,
  "fix_success_rate": 0.5,
  "resolvable": "partial",
  "first_seen": "2026-08-07",
  "last_confirmed": "2026-08-07",
  "last_updated": "2026-08-07",
  "evidence_count": 3,
  "tags": [],
  "locale": "en",
  "aliases": [
    "medical/mas-scratch-code-limited-to-antimalarials/ng"
  ]
}