FDA, Pharmacy Council issue alert following hydrogen peroxide shortage

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Pharmacy Council say there is a shortage of hydrogen peroxide at pharmacies because of panic buying.

A joint statement released by the two organizations said the situation has given rise to the sale of fake and substandard Hydrogen Peroxide in the market.

The statement further cautioned pharmacies to buy their stocks from licensed wholesalers and manufacturers.

"The general public is also being reminded to purchase only Food and Drugs Authority approved hydrogen peroxide and other medicinal products and be on the lookout for the mandatory FDA registration numbers on such products, if they are manufactured in Ghana," the release said.

The shortage comes days after a study was published about the effect of hydrogen peroxide on limiting COVID-19 infection.

According to the study titled; “A Case for Hydrogen Peroxide Mouthwash and Gargle to Limit SARS-CoV-2 Infection” the 'traditional' oral hygiene fluid which is inexpensive, readily available, and safe to use in low concentrations could be applied to reduce viral load in the oral and nasal cavities of Covid-19 patients and to inactivate the viruses they shed.

This, the study indicated, would protect contacts of Covid-19 patients and, especially, health workers from being infected.

Research team leader, Rev. Emeritus Prof. Andrews Seth Ayettey Retired Professor, University of Ghana Medical School, College of Health Sciences, in a press release said a 1per cent nebulized hydrogen peroxide that would reach all parts of the respiratory tract including the alveoli could prove helpful in the management of patients with early signs and symptoms of Covid-19.

He said in the on-going observational studies, the research team has become even more convinced about the efficacy of this solution, realizing that eight frontline nurses in the Covid-19 management team at a District Hospital using hydrogen peroxide had not contracted the disease and had tested negative since May 2020.

However, he indicated that in comparison, 62 of their colleagues not using peroxide had contracted the disease by end of December 2020.

“We are, therefore, more emboldened to recommend the use of hydrogen peroxide to protect against Covid-19, alongside the public health protocols and other remedies being actively promoted by government,” he said.