Drugs Board cautions against misleading adverts.

Bolgatanga, Oct. 19, GNA - The Northern Zonal Office of the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has stepped up efforts to curtail illegal advertisement of food and drugs in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.

Briefing the media in Bolgatanga on guidelines regulating drug advertisement, Mr Solomon Agampim, Zonal Officer of the Board, stressed the need to review penalties and fines on violations to make them more punitive.

He cautioned the media not to accept adverts on drug or food products that have not been approved by the FDB.

Mr Agampim also warned drug manufacturers and their agents to desist from advertisements that send false or misleading information about the efficacy and potency of their products.

According to the guidelines, over the counter drug advertisement should not contain information that suggests that the product "can perform magic" to induce patronage.

"The food and drugs law (POND Law 305 B) of 1992 also forbids drugs advertisements that are framed such as to exploit the superstitious beliefs or induce fear in people to purchase the product," Mr Agampim said.

He advised the public to look for and scrutinise the expiry dates of all food and drug products that they buy and to report persons who sold expired drugs to the law enforcement agencies.

Mr Agampim said some expired drugs contain toxic substances that could be dangerous to the health of consumers, while others may be ineffective in treating sicknesses that they were originally meant for.