Indian authorities don ban two of di very addictive opioids sake of one BBC investigation wey find out say dem dey ginger public health kasala for parts of West Africa.
For letter wey BBC see from di Drugs Controller General of India, Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi tok say dem withdraw di permission to make and export di drugs.
BBC Eye bin find say one pharmaceutical company, Aveo don dey illegally export one dangerous mix of tapentadol and carisoprodol for kontris like Ghana, Nigeria, and Cote D'Ivoire.
Di Food and Drug Administration for India say di company factory for Mumbai don since dey raided and dem seize dia whole stock.
Di circular from Dr Raghuvanshi wey dem date to Friday, bin call di BBC investigation for part of why im decide to ban all combination of tapentadol and carisoprodol, wey go start wit immediate effect.
E tok say dis ban also come afta officials bin look into "di potential of drug abuse and dia harmful impact ot di population."
Tapentadol na powerful opioid and carisoprodol na muscle relaxant wey dey addictive sotay e bin dey banned for Europe.
Carisoprodol dey approved for use for di US but only for short periods of up to three weeks. To comot from dis drug fi lead to anxiety, insomnia and hallucinations.
Di combination of di two drugs no dey licenced to be used anywia for di world as dem fit cause breathing problems and seizures and overdose on di drug fit kill pesin.
Even wit di risks, dis opioids still ne popular street drugs for plenti West African kontris becos dem dey very cheap and widely available.
Publicly-available export data show say Aveo Pharmaceuticals togeda wit one sister company wey dem call Westfin International don ship millions of dis drugs go Ghana and oda West African kontris.
Di BBC World Service don find packs of dis medicine wey get Aveo logo for sale on di streets of Nigeria and for Ivorian towns and cities.
Nigeria wey get population of 225 million pipo, get di biggest market for dis drugs. E dey estimated say about four million Nigerians dey abuse some kain opioid, according to di kontri National Bureau of Statistics.
As part of di investigation, di BC send undercover pesin wey act as African businessman wey wan supply opioids enta Nigeria to enta one of di Aveo factories for India. Dis na wia dem feem one of Aveo directors, Vinod Sharma dey show off di same dangerous products, di BBC bin find for sale for West Africa.
For di secret recording, di operative tell Sharma say im plan na to sell di drugs give teenagers for Nigeria "wey all love dis product".
Sharma reply to dis say "OK" bifor im explain say if users take two or three pills at once dem fit "relax" and agree say dem fit get "high".
For di end of di meeting, Sharma tok say, "dis dey very harmful for health" but say "nowadays, dis na business".
Sharma and Aveo Pharmaceuticals no ansa request to comment wen BBC first drop dia investigation.
India Food and Drug Administration say na for sting operation dem seize all of Aveo stock and match break on further production according o di Friday statemen. E add say dem go carry out more legal action on di company.
Di agency say dem dey fully ready ro take action against anybodi wey get hand in "illegal activities wey go spoil di reputation of di kontri".
E add say di FDA don dey instructed to carry out more inspections to stop di supply of di drugs.
Nigerian authorities store illegal drugs they have seized - mostly opioids - in a warehouse in Lagos
Copyright © 1994 - 2025 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved.
