Anas exposé: Two arrested over fake coronavirus cure

Two quack doctors are in the grips of the police allegedly manufacturing herbal medicines purported to cure COVID-19.

The duo was arrested after ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas caught them on tape taking advantage of the pandemic to scam unsuspecting victims.

The two self-acclaimed doctors, Dr Abdellah, the Director of Dr Abdellah Herbal Home and his Research Assistant, Dr Abdul Sarnad Bin Musa, are currently being investigated by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).

The 30-minute documentary exposed how the two individuals produced hundreds of bottles of the “COVID Cure” with fake FDA numbers on its labels during the lockdown period. In the film, they attempted to sell 100 bottles of their concoction to the undercover team for GH¢150,000. They had stockpiled almost GH¢433,875 worth of fake cure products in total.

A statement issued by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) on Monday, June 29 and signed by its Chief Executive, Delese Darko, said the unregistered products, which were being manufactured at Kojo Ashong, a village near Amasaman, had been falsely labelled to bear forged FDA registration number “FDB/TMP03709” on both products and also had March 2020 and March 2021 as their manufacturing and expiry dates respectively.

The statement said the action of the two violated Sections 113(1) and 118(1) of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851).

It added that FDA’s visit to the manufacturing premises revealed that the products were being manufactured under unhygienic conditions, which was also in contravention of Section 115 (1b) of the same Act.

“Moreover, results of laboratory analysis on the product conducted at the FDA’s ISO 17025-2017 Accredited Laboratory revealed that the products do not meet the requirements of Total Aerobic Microbial Count and Total Yeast and Moulds Counts as per the British Pharmacopeia specifications which makes the products unsafe for use,” it said.