Drug peddlers arrested for repackaging orthodox medicines as herbal products

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has arrested 15 drug peddlers in Ho, in the Volta Regional, for allegedly repackaging orthodox medicines and relabeling them as herbal products.

The Volta Regional Directorate of the FDA arrested them during its post market surveillance activity on Wednesday.

The seized drugs included antibiotics and aphrodisiacs.

Following the arrest, the Regional Head of FDA, Mr Gorden Akurugu, said majority of the seized products contravened the Public Health ACT 851 of 2012.

He said the peddlers were using deceit and counterfeiting to sell the sub-standard products through the market for livelihood, a sine qua non for public health disaster.

He said FDA findings revealed that "LY MPH SHAMEI", a supposed unregistered antibiotic is being repackaged from sachets or capsules strips into small containers and given local branding such as “Joseph Herbal Capsules" with claims to cure low sperm count, syphilis and menstrual.  

He said the same capsules were repackaged and rebranded as "Special Gono- Gonorrhoea.

Mr Akurugu said the peddlers repackaged a suspected "Dazipam" as sleeping tablet declaring it as “Dompe Blue Power" literally, "bone" power to relief body pains with Dexamethasore tablets serion, a strictly prescription medication for bodybuilders being sold in open market for curing many illnesses.

He said the products were counterfeits and that their action constituted a criminal act.

The suspects have therefore been handed over to the Police for further investigation and prosecution