FDA seizes fake herbal cure for coronavirus after anas' expose

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has seized a total of 431 bottles of two unregistered herbal drugs purported to cure the novel coronavirus.

This follows an exposé by Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tigereye PI team.

Anas released his latest investigative piece on Monday, June 29, 2020, dubbed “Corona Quack” which exposed persons swindling others in the name of having COVID-19 cure in Ghana.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) with the assistance of the Police Drug Enforcement Unit of the Ghana Police CID, has seized a total of 431 bottles of two unregistered herbal medicinal products namely, COVID-CURE (1) and COVID-CURE (2), purported to treat COVID-19, as it violates Section 118 (1) of the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851),” a statement from the FDA said.

The statement, signed by the Chief Executive Director of the Authority, Delese Mimi Darko, noted that the herbal products were “falsely labelled to bear forced FDA registration number: FDB/TMP03709 on both products and also have March 2020 and March 2021 as their manufacturing and expiry dates respectively.”

The FDA in the statement warned that "it has not registered any product for the treatment or cure for COVID-19” and have asked Ghanaians to desist from buying any product of a sort.

The perpetrators of the crime, Dr. Abdellah and his research assistant, Dr. Abdul Samad Bin Musa have since been in police custody for violating Sections 118(1) and 113(1) of the Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851).