FDA cautions public over unregistered medicines
The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) with the assistance of the Ghana Police Service has arrested some peddlers of unregistered medicines known as Nkoyo and Nnompe Nnompe tablets.
These products, which are not registered by the FDA, were sold as herbal preparations and claimed to treat pain and inflammatory diseases.
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A statement signed and issued by the Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the FDA, Mrs Delese A.A. Darko, said the continuous use of the product without proper guidance could lead to serious health issues such as headaches, stomach pains, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, depression, high blood pressure, indigestion, restlessness, black or tarry stool and insomnia, among others.
It, therefore, warned the public to desist from buying and using such products since the FDA could not guarantee the health and safety of users.
The statement further urged the public to be cautious of the operations of drug peddlers in the open market.
It urged them to deal with only licensed pharmacies for all their prescription and over-the-counter medicines to avoid incidences of substandard and falsified medicines.
The statement noted that laboratory analysis of the drugs showed that they contained prescription-only ingredients in unknown quantities, as well as other unknown substances.
Disposal
It further added that the FDA had seized drugs in large quantities and disposed them safely and was assisting security agencies in their investigations to ensure that all those involved were apprehended and dealt with appropriately.
The statement assured the public that the FDA would continue its surveillance activities and collaborate with relevant agencies to combat the operations of those dealing with these unregistered drugs.
Commenting on the seizure, the Head of Drug Market Surveillance, Mr Vigil Ashun, said the drugs seized were from the Eastern and Ashanti regions.
He added that the peddlers bought drugs from Nigeria in bulk and sold them off in small quantities in the country — packaging them with different names such as the Nkoyo and Nnompe tablets.
Mr Ashun said the FDA was working with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to stop peddlers from selling in commercial vehicles.
“We have an agreement with the GPRTU to stop these peddlers but when the trotro leaves the station, they start to sell drugs to the passengers,” he explained.