Volta FDA arrests drug peddler for selling 'holy water'

Andrews Agbena, an itinerant drug peddler has been arrested by the Volta Regional Directorate of the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) for selling "Adomfe" water that he claimed could cure myriads of ailments in Ho.

The unregistered product was labelled as "Christ the Light Healing Water.

At the time of arrest, Agbena, had labelled 136 of the 1.5 litre bottles of the "wonder water", which he claimed could cure stroke, eye and ear problems, waist pain, diabetes, blood pressure, body pains, sexual weakness, asthma, gonorrhea, stomach ulcer, urinal problems, white, rheumatism, headache among others, which he was selling for GHC10.00 per bottle.

The water, he claimed, works both physically and spiritually.

Mr Gordon Akurugu, Head of the Regional Directorate of FDA, briefing the Ghana News Agency, said Agbena was arrested upon a tip-off whilst peddling the unsubstantiated claim of the efficacy of the product.

He said the World Health Organisation statue describes water as food and cannot be labelled as medicine to treat multiple health conditions or diseases as claimed by the suspect.

He said the FDA mandate in ACT 851 that establishes the Authority does not include dabbling in spirituality of medicines.

Mr Akurugu pledged the Authority’s alertness in protecting consumers of medicinal products in this COVID-19 era and would safeguard the population against recalcitrant elements of society, who might want to exploit them.

"Our core mandate is to ensure the safety of consumers of drugs, 'Your Wellbeing, Our Priority.’”

He cautioned traditional and herbal medicine practitioners against using unorthodox means to coerce the public to patronise such unregistered products, saying they would face the wrath of FDA.

Mr Akurugu pledged that his office will be opened to genuine business practitioners.

The Director urged the public to keep safe, abide by the protocols of the Coronavirus and stay alive.

Other products found with Agbena included white and fresh tooth powder, maxman capsules, female reproductive herbal capsules, female fertility formula herbal capsule, and Christ Delight capsules, which he claimed was bought from Drug Lane in Accra.