FDA Seizes Fake Covid-19 Drugs After Anas’s Exposé

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) with the assistance of the Police Drug Enforcement Unit of the Ghana Police CID has seized a total of 431 bottles of unregistered herbal drugs purported to be a cure for Covid-19.

The fake medicinal products COVID-CURE (1) and COVID-CURE (2), were being manufactured by Dr Abdellah Herbal Home at Kojo Ashong, a village near Amasaman.

The products were falsely labelled to bear forged FDA registration number: FDB/TMP03709′ on both products and also have March 2020 and March 2021 as their manufacturing and expiry dates respectively.

According to the FDA, the act breaches, “Section 113(1) of the Public Health Act 2012, (Act 851), which states, “A person commits an offence if that person labels, packages, sells or advertises a drug, a herbal medicinal product, cosmetic, medical device or household chemical substance, (a) in contravention or Regulations or Guidelines made under this Part. or (b) in a manner, that is false, misleading or deceptive or misbranded as regards its character, constitution, value, potency, quality, composition, merits or safety.”

Additionally, FDA’s visit to the manufacturing premises revealed that the products were being manufactured under unhygienic conditions which is in contravention of Section 115 (1b) of the Public Health Act 2012, (Act 851), which states “A person shall not manufacture a drug, herbal medicinal product, cosmetic, medical device or household chemical substance sale unless the conditions under Which the manufacture is to be carried on are as specified in the Guidelines of the Authority to ensure that the article will be of good quality and safe to use”.

A statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Delese Mimi Darko, warned that it “has not registered any product for the treatment or cure for Covid-19” and has asked Ghanaians to desist from buying such products.

The perpetrators of the crime, Dr Abdellah and his research assistant, Dr Abdul Samad Bin Musa have since been in police custody assisting with investigations.