"Medication no be luxury": Man calls out huge price difference after buying same drug for ₦40,000 in Gbagada and ₦9,500 on Lagos Island

• A man said he bought the same prescription medication for ₦40,000 in Gbagada and ₦9,500 on Lagos Island.

• He scanned both packs and claimed they were from the same manufacturer with matching details.

• He said he wasn't trying to drag the company but wanted to highlight what he believes is unfair pricing.

• The incident has reignited conversations about the wide price differences in prescription drugs across pharmacies in Nigeria.

A Nigerian man has sparked a conversation online after sharing his shocking experience of buying the exact same prescription medication at two different pharmacies in Lagos for prices that were miles apart.

According to him, he was charged ₦40,000 for the drug at a pharmacy in Gbagada, only to find the same medication selling for ₦9,500 at another pharmacy on Lagos Island the following day.

Explaining what happened, he said he had rushed someone he referred to as his "P man" to the hospital after receiving a distress call that the person was unwell. Following several tests, the doctor prescribed the medication and directed him to a nearby pharmacy.

He said: "The same medication, two different prices. I bought this drug for 40,000 Naira yesterday in Gbagada. I bought this for 9,500 Naira in Lagos Island today."

He explained that because it was an emergency, he didn't have much choice but to buy the medicine.

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"Yesterday, I got a call that my P man was not feeling too well, so I had to take him to the hospital. And on getting there, after a series of tests and all that, the doctor recommended I would get this medication. And they referred me to this pharmacy to go and get it."

The following day, while searching for another medication recommended by a friend, he visited a pharmacy on Lagos Island. There, he unexpectedly saw the same drug and decided to ask for the price.

The pharmacist told him it cost ₦9,500.

Curious, he bought it to compare with the one he had purchased for ₦40,000.

"So out of curiosity, I asked how much. He said 9,500 Naira. So I bought one to compare, to see if they are the same thing."

To rule out any doubts, he said he scanned the QR codes on both packs and confirmed they came from the same manufacturer.

"Before you tell me they are not the same... they are the same thing because I scanned the code. I scanned both of them and they are the same company. Even the serial numbers are the same thing."

The man stressed that his intention was not to call out the pharmaceutical company or damage its reputation but to draw attention to what he described as an unfair pricing system.

"I'm not making this video to drag the company... But this is not fair. Medication no be something wey person plan say e go buy."

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He questioned why a medicine that could be sold for ₦9,500 would be marked up to ₦40,000 elsewhere.

"Something that you can sell for 9,500 Naira, you sold it for 40,000 Naira. Do you want to tell me that those people on the island that sold it for 9,500, they've not made their gain?"

He also urged businesses to show more empathy, especially when it comes to essential medicines.

"These are just necessities. They are not luxuries that you want to flaunt. These are just necessary to keep people alive, to maintain their health."

The video has since triggered widespread reactions online, with many Nigerians sharing similar experiences of encountering significant price differences for prescription drugs at different pharmacies. While medicine prices can vary because of factors such as procurement costs, location, operating expenses and supplier pricing, health experts generally advise patients to buy prescription medicines only from licensed pharmacies and, where possible, compare prices before making a purchase.