Unlicensed drugs: Crack the whip – Kapito

Executive Director of the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), Kofi Kapito, has charged authorities to ensure that pharmaceutical importers who flout the laws are made to face sanctions.

He was of the view that public health is paramount and cannot be jeopardised by entertaining any lapses which will create health risks for consumers.

His concern comes after the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) named Coartem, Procold, Zentel and Amodiaquine Suspension as some of the unregistered drugs shipped into the country.

The drugs forms part of a list of 72 drugs the FDA said were imported into the country between 2012 and 2013, without authorisation.

Officials of the FDA revealed this when they met the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament with regards to their operations on Monday, August 7.

Commenting on the issue, Mr Kapito told Valentina Ofori Afriyie on Class FM’s 505 news programme that: “The FDA must do more to make sure [such] drugs don’t come on the market”.

He questioned why it has taken years for the information to be made known to the public and appealed for a more proactive law to make officials accountable as at when such occurrences are detected.

He was not enthused about the number of years it takes for such offences to be exposed normally at a time when the officials in charge have been replaced.

“What took them so long?” he questioned, as he insisted that legislators must “change laws and make people accountable while they are in office”.

He is also calling for a consumer bill to protect citizens' rights.